Port of New Bedford Seeks USD 15 Million Grant to Prepare for Offshore Wind Projects

The Port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, has applied for a USD 15 million government grant to make room for an increase in activities, including offshore wind.

The port is seeking funds from the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant for the 2017 round offered by the US Department of Transportation to build 800 feet of additional bulkhead in the North Terminal and complete Phase V dredging.

According to the port, this project will finalize the cleanup of the harbour, create more dockage space for vessels, create at least 900 new jobs, and unlock millions in additional private investment.

“The purpose of this project is to promote growth in the Port of New Bedford across multiple industries: fishing, offshore wind, cargo, and island freight,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell.

“With the EPA’s recent approval, we are now in a position to seek funding for construction, and I am grateful to our federal and state legislative delegations for their support.”

The port emphasizes that as the offshore wind industry gears up to deploy wind farms from New Bedford, it has become clearer that the port will need additional space to stage components, a service that a new terminal could readily provide.

“We feel we submitted a strong application, clearly demonstrating how this project will increase efficiencies for a number of water-dependent businesses and will spur immense economic development and private investment for the long-term,” said Ed Washburn, Port Director.

The Port of New Bedford is also applying to the 2017 Infrastructure For Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant programme for the same purpose.

Deepwater Wind recently announced that its 144MW Revolution Wind project will use the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal for construction and staging operations, becoming the first offshore wind company to use the port for these purposes.

Apart from Deepwater Wind, DONG Energy and OffshoreMW have committed to using the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal as a staging and deployment location for future offshore wind projects.