DEME to install turbines at Massachusetts offshore wind farm

Vineyard Wind has chosen DEME Offshore US for the transport and installation of offshore wind turbines at the Vineyard Wind 1 project site, located some 24 kilometres off Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

For the project, DEME Offshore US will team up with FOSS Maritime Company, a U.S. maritime service contractor, which will provide skilled personnel and Jones Act compliant feeder vessels for the GE Haliade-X wind turbines to be transported from the port of New Bedford to DEME’s installation jack-up vessel.

“The offshore wind industry has tremendous potential to create good paying jobs and investment opportunities while also reducing carbon pollution. By working with companies like DEME Offshore US LLC and FOSS Maritime, we can ensure that US labor is gaining from the experience of well-established operators, so that the industry can take proper root and grow a fully American workforce”, said Vineyard Wind CEO, Lars T. Pedersen. 

The DEME Offshore US office in Massachusetts will be the base of operations for activities for the Vineyard Wind 1 project. 

“Our method is Jones Act compliant, driven by high-tech engineering, patented solutions and special adaptions to both companies’ vessels for this project. The deployment of the US feeder concept by the DEME Offshore US/FOSS Maritime Team will create a great opportunity for US mariners to get familiar with the offshore wind industry”, said Jan Klaassen, Director DEME Offshore US. 

Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), plans to reach financial close for the project in the second half of this year.

At the beginning of March, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the offshore wind farm, shortly after resuming the process which had been halted following the developer’s decision to switch from MHI Vestas to GE Haliade-X wind turbines and to carry out a technical review of the plan with the new turbine model.

The 800 MW offshore wind farm, slated to become the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S., is expected to be operational in 2023, from when it will be providing clean electricity to more than 400,000 homes.