MassCEC has expanded wind turbine production terminal

This expansion is needed to maintain and increase Massachusetts' competitiveness in the emerging offshore wind industry by providing facilities that will support the anticipated increased demand for port facilities that can deploy the larger, heavier turbine parts as proposed by offshore wind facilities. The announced plans represent the commitment of the state to ensure that the facility will continue to provide critical support for the deployment of gigawatts of renewable offshore wind and serve as an essential port asset for the emerging US offshore wind industry for years to come.

"As the offshore wind industry grows and expands, so does Massachusetts’ port infrastructure,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Throughout its history, the Port of New Bedford has served as a nexus of New England’s economy, from whaling, to fishing, to offshore wind. The investments in and expansion of the port will help maintain Massachusetts’ global leadership in offshore wind.”

"The Port of New Bedford is both a local and global economic powerhouse,” added Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “As the former mayor of a historic port turned offshore wind facility, I know first-hand the boost this transformation can offer a community like New Bedford, which has borne the brunt of polluting fossil fuel plants. This is an exciting next phase in the terminal’s story.”

Informed by a strategic planning process and with specific input from offshore wind project developers, wind turbine manufacturers, global marine transportation and installation companies, and port engineering consultants, the project includes the acquisition by MassCEC of four abutting properties, the redevelopment of an existing legacy bulkhead with a new high bearing capacity quayside, and the relocation and construction of a new office and warehouse building. When completed the project will expand the available heavy lift storage area by 5 acres to a total of 26 contiguous acres (24% increase in area), increase the total heavy lift quayside available at the terminal to 1200 ft, and provide additional office and warehouse space and functionality for terminal tenants.

“Massachusetts is a national leader in offshore wind development and innovation, and we’re investing in the infrastructure and workforce to deploy this clean energy to homes and businesses across the state,” commented Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Rebecca Tepper. “MassCEC’s years long work at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal has been crucial to our progress, and these improvements signal that Massachusetts is here to support the offshore wind industry as it grows off of our coast.”

“One of MassCEC’s top priorities is to support the growing offshore wind industry in Massachusetts through the strategic development of port infrastructure,” stated Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, CEO, Emily Reichert. “The New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal has provided the area necessary to stage one of the nation’s first commercial scale offshore wind projects, and this expansion will position the site as a long-term clean energy asset for the Commonwealth.”

In December 2021, the Massachusetts Legislature passed An Act Relative to Immediate COVID-19 Recovery Needs, which created a new Massachusetts Offshore Wind Industry Investment Fund at MassCEC. Through the Massachusetts Ports Investment Challenge, launched in 2022, the Commonwealth made a US$180 million investment in a portfolio of offshore wind port redevelopment projects, including funding for the Marine Commerce Terminal expansion project. In total, seven awards were made through the funding opportunity for projects in New Bedford, Salem, and Somerset, including US$45 million for the Marine Commerce Terminal, US$75 million for the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal and funding for Prysmian marine high voltage cables manufacturing facility/terminal and Gladding Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset, and North Terminal, Foss Marine Terminal, and Shoreline Marine Terminals in New Bedford.

“The Port of New Bedford has long been a maritime leader in America, and the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal is now playing a pivotal role in launching America’s next major maritime industry: offshore wind energy,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell. “The support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration solidifies New Bedford’s enduring leadership and positions it well to attract follow-on investment.”

In acquisition of the four abutting properties, MassCEC assessed comparable properties, took into account replacement cost values for existing businesses, and negotiated mutually agreeable terms with the sellers to accommodate plans for business relocation or consolidation. The project is being advanced in four phases: building, demolition/abatement, and soil remediation; civil site improvements for high-bearing capacity groundworks; terminal bulkhead redevelopment; and new office/warehouse construction. The project team has been advancing site design concepts, filing for required permits, and procuring contractors for the work scopes. The anticipated completion date for the expansion project is December 2026.

For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.

Energy Global's Summer 2024 issue

The Summer 2024 issue of Energy Global starts with a guest comment from Terrawatt on the streamlining of the permitting process in Italy, before moving on to a regional report from Frost & Sullivan on the energy landscape in Asia Pacific. This issue looks at key topics such as wind installation vessels, offshore wind turbine foundations, weather analysis, solar maintenance, and more!

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/19082024/masscec-has-expanded-wind-turbine-production-terminal/