July 04, 2024 2:00 pm
One of the four offshore companies competing to add wind power to Connecticut’s electrical grid is promising more work for two eastern Connecticut companies.
Vineyard Offshore announced a memorandum of understanding with Groton-based companies ThayerMahan and Survival Systems USA, contingent on being chosen by the state for an offshore wind project.
Both companies have previously worked with Vineyard Offshore, the developer of Vineyard Wind, a 806-megawatt, 62-turbine wind farm under construction about 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Vineyard Wind 1 claims to be the first operational commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the country.
ThayerMahan provided an acoustic monitoring system for seabed surveys and used bubble curtain technology to reduce noise during offshore wind turbine foundation installation.
“Vineyard Wind 1 allowed us to enter the offshore wind industry and establish our Big Bubble Curtain business in New England. We are excited about continuing our partnership with Vineyard Offshore,” said Richard Hine, president of ThayerMahan.
Vineyard Offshore has also entered a memorandum of understanding with Survival Systems USA, which trains people in water safety for the offshore wind industry. The agreement will support training facility infrastructure, equipment procurement, certifications, workforce training, and capacity.
Since 2020, Survival Systems USA has trained over 1,500 Global Wind Organization members. Last month, the company celebrated its 25th anniversary in Groton, marking the occasion with a ribbon-cutting for a new building housing a 33-foot training tower.
Keith Wille, program manager for Survival Systems USA, stated the company has worked with numerous offshore wind firms, teaching survival techniques and safe worker transfer to offshore turbines.
“We look forward to continuing our work with Vineyard Offshore. Offshore wind has become crucial to our business,” said Maria Hanna, President, and CEO of Survival Systems.
Both Groton companies’ work is contingent on Vineyard Offshore being selected for the 1,200-megawatt Vineyard Wind 2 project, located 29 miles south of Nantucket. The company plans construction work in Salem, secondary manufacturing in Providence, operations in New Bedford, and electricity delivery to the grid via New London.
Vineyard Wind 1 is owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables. Vineyard Wind 2 is owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Iberdrola, through Avangrid Renewables.
Vineyard Offshore is one of four companies that responded to a multi-state solicitation from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Connecticut seeks up to 2,000 megawatts of new offshore wind, adding to the 304 megawatts it is buying from Orsted and Eversource’s Revolution Wind project.
Along with Vineyard Offshore, Orsted, SouthCoast Wind, and Avangrid have submitted bids under the memorandum of understanding among Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection expects to announce in the third quarter whether any projects have been accepted for power purchase agreement negotiations.
Original Story at www.theday.com