Salem wind potential

Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), has entered into an agreement with the City of Salem and Crowley Maritime Corporation to create a public-private partnership aimed at establishing Salem Harbour as the state’s second major offshore wind port.

“As offshore wind continues to expand, new purpose-built ports will be key to the success of this industry,” said Lars T. Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind.

“This partnership is a great example of how sites that once supported coal can be transformed into sustainable infrastructure to support the vital clean energy transition,” said Bill White, head of offshore wind for Avangrid Renewables.

The agreement, part of the “Commonwealth Wind” proposal, is contingent upon the company winning an award by the state of Massachusetts, which is currently evaluating offshore wind procurement bids.

The Commonwealth Wind project intends to use the site, which has deep water and unrestricted height access to accommodate large-scale wind turbine installation vessels, for turbine assembly and staging activities, utilizing the site to store and assemble components – including blades, nacelles, and tower sections – as they are prepared for offshore installation.

Crowley Maritime Corporation, through its New Energy subsidiary Crowley Wind Services, will purchase the 42 acres surrounding Salem Harbour Station, currently owned by a subsidiary of Footprint Power LLC, and will serve as the long-term offshore wind port operator for the site.

Following the redevelopment of Salem Harbour, Avangrid Renewables will be the first tenant to utilise the site to assemble and deploy offshore wind turbines for Commonwealth Wind and future projects. Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners will be the second tenant to utilize the terminal to assemble and deploy turbines for their future projects.

The US’ first purpose-built offshore wind port is being built in New Bedford, Massachusetts.