Administrators with the operations and maintenance (O&M) facility under development anticipate that once completed, the terminal will host a monthly rotation of up to 300 offshore workers that will be a boon for the local economy, according to Andrew Saunders, a New Bedford native and President of NBFMT.
“It’s great to be part of a project that is transforming a derelict power generating station into a state-of-the-art offshore wind hub able to support projects here in the US’ northeast,” Saunders said. “All of the old, outdated buildings are now gone, and the recently completed waterside improvements position us as the gateway to the offshore wind lease blocks. The opening of this new deep-water berth is just the beginning, with more waterside and land side improvements that will occur over the next few years.
“We are very excited about what the future will bring for the industry and for the regional economy as a whole. We’re building up to provide advanced management and warehouse space for partners who are servicing the burgeoning Northeast wind industry. With the opening of the deep-water berth, a consistent circulation of industry workers will spend a few days in town every month, spending their company dollars on local businesses. Physically and financially, it’s truly a breath of fresh air for New Bedford.”
The 27-acre private terminal, owned by Foss Offshore Wind and local business leaders, has progressed through collaborations with city, state, and federal agencies, notably New Bedford mayor Jonathan Mitchell, the New Bedford city council, the Port of New Bedford, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). MassCEC has contributed $15 million to the project so far.
In order to complete the deep-water berth, The City of New Bedford facilitated state, local, and private funds to dredge more than 80,000 cubic yards of contaminated material from the waters just off the site. This work was part of the City’s Phase V Dredge Program, which allows for the removal of legacy contamination from decades past. In all, the Phase V Dredge Program will remove and encapsulate more than 500,000 cubic yards of contaminated material from New Bedford harbor. When complete, the terminal will boast four large individual berths and a floating pier system that can accommodate up to eleven offshore wind construction and O&M vessels.
“The New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal is a model that Foss intends to emulate in multiple East and West Coast markets as the wind industry grows over the coming years,” according to Foss Offshore Wind President Joel Whitman in Boston.
“Our nation needs electricity, and we need it from resources that don’t continue to send environmentally damaging materials into the atmosphere,” he said. “The terminal is an investment in the people and ports necessary to make this energy transition possible.”
