Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and AVANGRID, received the first shipment of turbine components for GE’s Haliade-X 13-megawatt (MW) turbine at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal. The tower sections – the base of the turbine that’s placed on top of the yellow transition piece – will be constructed at the terminal before being shipped out and installed later this summer.
“After a long road, the first day of component arrival is finally here,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus S. Moeller. “This is great milestone for New Bedford, Vineyard Wind and the country. We’ve been working together with Mayor Mitchell for years to achieve this and are now finally seeing the result. I am proud to introduce this technology to the US and to see the many jobs that this industry will create in action on the site to today. This is only the first – much more is coming. And the vision of New Bedford at the epicenter of the offshore wind industry is coming to life today.”
Towers will arrive in three sections and once onshore will be staged at the terminal before being partially assembled by union labor and loaded onto a specialized barge. In all, approximately 100 union trades people will work on the site during the peak construction period.
“Congratulations to Vineyard Wind, as well as the workers, local officials, businesses, and advocates who made this important milestone possible,” said Governor Maura Healey. “The Vineyard Wind 1 project is an integral part of our efforts to make Massachusetts a global leader in offshore wind. Our administration looks forward to continuing to support this project and bringing clean, affordable energy to Massachusetts.”
“The arrival of turbine components for the Vineyard Wind project represents the clearest manifestation yet of what we’ve been working on for more than a decade, namely, to position New Bedford as the leading offshore wind port on the East Coast. With our partners at Vineyard Wind, we are excited to launch this new industry for the benefit of the City and our nation,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell.
“CIP is proud to play a leading role on the Vineyard Wind 1 project,” said Tim Evans, Partner and Head of North America for CIP. “Our extensive industry experience allows us to deliver on our promises, as evidenced today by the arrival of these components. We look forward to many more milestones for Vineyard Wind in the coming months, and to developing future projects in Massachusetts and around the US in the years to come.”
