Vineyard Wind officials have visited the site of the former Brayton Point coal-fired power plant as part of efforts to explore its potential role in the construction of the company’s 800MW offshore wind farm in Massachusetts, US.
Due to its coastal position and access to major transportation infrastructure, the 300+ acre facility is an attractive location for staging construction of the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm, the company said.
According to Lars Thaaning Pedersen, Vineyard Wind CEO, the site could be used for manufacturing turbine foundations or other parts of the project.
“As we build this first project, we’re also building the crucial components of a supply chain that will serve a new industry into the future,” said Pedersen .
The company’s executive board members also toured the New Bedford Commerce Terminal, identified as the project’s central shoreside construction and staging area, cable landfall sites in Barnstable and Yarmouth, as well as the location of the future substation in Barnstable’s Independence Park.
“While New Bedford provides the important main staging port, there will be a significant need for sites like Brayton Point to support construction and fabrication work for our project and future projects, and we hope to cultivate a sustained partnership in these areas.”
Vineyard Wind has committed USD 30 million to community programs and infrastructure investment aimed to help build an offshore wind industry along the US East Coast. The commitment also includes a USD 10 million Offshore Wind Accelerator Fund for infrastructure required to develop the industry in the Commonwealth.
The joint venture of Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners was selected as a preferred solution in the Massachusetts Green Communities Act Section 83C RFP for offshore wind energy projects this May.
Located some 14 miles off Martha’s Vineyard, the 800MW project is expected to enter the construction phase next year and become operational by 2021.