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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Bay State Wind Partnership Seeks Massachusetts Hub Site

04/04/2018
Bay State Wind, the 50-50 partnership between Ørsted, a global leader in offshore wind, and Eversource, New England’s premier transmission builder, entered into an agreement with EEW, the international market leader in steel pipe manufacturing, to open facility to manufacture offshore wind components.

Bay State Wind is a proposed offshore wind project located 25 miles off the Massachusetts South Coast and 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, will be America’s first large-scale, commercial wind farm.

Company officials recently visited Massachusetts to view potential site locations to build its U.S. hub.

Bay State Wind and EEW will collaborate with Gulf Island Fabrication, a U.S.-based worldwide leader in the construction of offshore and onshore energy sector facilities. According to company officials, the collaboration will deploy new and specialized steel manufacturing capabilities that are not currently utilized in the U.S.

“The U.S. market, with Massachusetts and the Northeast at the forefront, has long been ripe for robust development of offshore wind energy,” said Christoph Schorge, Managing Partner of EEW Group.

“We regard these first steps as a starting point of a long-term and sustainable approach in the U.S. offshore wind industry and we are proud to enter the market with such a knowledgeable partner as Bay State Wind,” he added. “Being able to bring the world’s preeminent steel manufacturer in the offshore energy sector along with Gulf Island Fabrication, a premier U.S. fabrication company, to work on the Bay State Wind project is a tremendous honor,” said Thomas Brostrøm, President of Ørsted North America. “In addition to an unmatched record of safety, EEW has been a longtime partner of Ørsted’s which will make for seamless project management and a strong, trusting working relationship.”

"By teaming up with EEW and Gulf Island Fabrication, we are working to bring world-class offshore wind expertise to the U.S.," said Mike Auseré, Vice President of Business Development at Eversource. "It will allow us to play a vital role in bolstering the local economy and ensuring customers are always receiving the best return on their investments by our continuous efforts to keep energy costs low."

EEW and Gulf Island will specifically work on the production of monopile foundations and transition pieces, including secondary steel components, painting, and pre-fabricated components for offshore wind turbine foundations. EEW will manufacture the large steel pipes and primary pieces of the project. Gulf Island will outfit the secondary materials of the project and execute the painting scope.

“As we look to the future for the U.S. energy sector, offshore wind will undoubtedly be a prominent source of energy for many Americans,” said Kirk Meche, President & CEO of Gulf Island Fabrication. “We are thrilled to be partnering with two industry-leading companies in their respective fields on the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the country.”

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