Cape Wind has selected the joint venture team of Flatiron Construction Corp., Cal Dive International, Inc., and Cashman Equipment Corp. as its construction contractor to build America’s first offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound.
Cape Wind President Jim Gordon said, “We are confident this is the right team with the best skills and capabilities to successfully build Cape Wind and create hundreds of jobs in the region.”
Boston-based Cashman Equipment Corp. has constructed many marine projects in Massachusetts and New England and is one of the leading providers of floating marine equipment in the country and provides floating marine equipment worldwide. Company President Jaime Cashman said, “I am thrilled that our Massachusetts company will be helping to make Cape Wind happen.”
Colorado-based Flatiron Construction Corp. is one of the leading construction and civil engineering firms in the U.S. “We are excited to build Cape Wind, this project is moving forward and there is no better way for us to enter the US offshore wind market than to help build the first commercial project,” said Rik van den Berg, Project Manager for Flatiron Construction Corp.
Houston-based Cal Dive International, Inc. is a market leading U.S. based offshore energy marine construction and manned diving firm, “Cal Dive has successfully completed multiple projects in the Northeast United States and we bring over thirty-five years of marine construction experience to the Cape Wind project. We are excited about the opportunity to expand our business into the offshore wind sector,” Cal Dive International, Inc. General Manger , Construction, Russell Vandiver said.
Cape Wind has encouraged the joint venture to seek out subcontracting opportunities with local firms that may be able to offer competitive equipment or services.
Gerard Dhooge, President of the Boston & New England Maritime Trades Council, AFL-CIO, said, “Today’s announcement is a major milestone for Cape Wind and brings closer the day that we can put a lot of our local members to work constructing America’s first offshore wind energy facility while building a better energy future for our country.”
“Our joint venture team will work closely with Cape Wind to ensure that we incorporate the best practices developed by the offshore wind industry over its twenty year history,” Rik van den Berg, Project Manager for Flatiron Construction Corp ., added, “Cape Wind isn’t just about building America’s first offshore wind farm, it’s about building the skill set among American companies to catalyze a domestic offshore wind industry supply chain,”.
Cape Wind expects to begin construction in 2013.
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Offshore WIND staff, April 11, 2012; Image: cape wind