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NEW BEDFORD — To cement Massachusetts’ position in the offshore wind industry, the state is expanding its first (and the country’s first) marshaling terminal to handle bigger and heavier turbine components as several staging sites come online along the East Coast.
“This expansion is needed to maintain and increase Massachusetts’ competitiveness in the emerging offshore wind industry by providing facilities that will support the anticipated increased demand for port facilities that can deploy the larger, heavier turbine parts,” reads a statement from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the quasi-state agency operating the terminal.
MassCEC says the expansion plan was informed by input from offshore wind developers, turbine manufacturers, and installation companies to meet the “evolving needs” of the industry.
The agency has committed $45 million to the project with an anticipated completion date of December 2026. The agency also plans to apply for federal grants and pursue funding from other private sources.
In June, The Light reported MassCEC reached three deals totaling $10 million to acquire abutting real estate formerly owned by major seafood companies, including the former headquarters of Carlos Rafael’s Carlos Seafood.
Earlier, The Light reported on the terminal’s future after projects announced plans to use the state’s second marshaling terminal in Salem to stage components (construction breaks ground this week).
Since the New Bedford terminal’s design and construction almost 10 years ago, a lot has changed: bigger specialty ports are up and running or are due to finish construction by 2026, and turbines have grown substantially in size.
Months ago, MassCEC did not answer several questions from The Light on the terminal’s future — such as whether it currently has the capacity to handle larger turbine components — but has now acknowledged it has limitations.
“With the increasing size of both turbine components … the available area for component storage and turbine pre-assembly is a constraining factor for the Terminal,” reads a web page on the project. “A portion of the Terminal’s existing bulkhead/quayside area is not optimized, as one parcel … is severely limited in its bearing capacity.”
The projected growth (and a possible size cap) for future turbines, which now reach skyscraper heights, remains a debated subject within the offshore wind industry.
A MassCEC spokesperson on Wednesday said the terminal in its current state has the capacity to handle 13- to 15-megawatt turbines (the Vineyard Wind project uses 13-megawatt turbines), stating it is comparable to the capacity of other staging facilities available or under development.
Following the expansion work, the New Bedford terminal will also have the capacity to support similar levels of inbound and outbound vessel movement as the other East Coast staging facilities, per MassCEC.
MassCEC CEO Emily Reichert said the expansion will “position the site as a long-term clean energy asset.”
Offshore wind marshaling ports in use or in development
The work will occur in four phases, and include demolition, soil remediation, bulkhead redevelopment and extension, and construction of new office and warehouse space for tenants (the developers).
MassCEC’s existing lease with Vineyard Wind runs until Dec. 31, 2024, with the option to extend 90 days. A Vineyard Wind spokesperson did not respond to questions Wednesday on how the recent blade failure (and federal-issued construction suspension) may affect the timing and completion of its offshore installation.
Some of the construction will occur while Vineyard Wind’s work at the site continues, with demolition of existing buildings beginning as early as late 2024.
Per a MassCEC spokesperson, the “majority of the facility” will remain available for Vineyard Wind or other tenants, including the approximate 20 acres of the heavy-lift laydown area and docking.
When completed, the project will expand the available heavy-lift storage area by 5 acres to a total of 26 acres, and increase the total heavy-lift quayside available to 1,200 feet.
“The Port of New Bedford has long been a maritime leader in America, and the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal is now playing a pivotal role in launching America’s next major maritime industry: offshore wind energy,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell in a statement. “The support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration solidifies New Bedford’s enduring leadership and positions it well to attract follow-on investment.”
Asked if MassCEC has a developer in line to lease the terminal once Vineyard Wind vacates, an agency representative said earlier this year that the focus in 2025 will be on the improvement and expansion project, noting this work will not prevent use by an offshore wind developer or other potential tenants.
Though the facility is purpose-built for offshore wind, for years it found other work with cargo and shipping as early projects awaited requisite federal and state approvals.
SouthCoast Wind signed a lease with MassCEC in April, and a spokesperson for the developer previously told The Light that the company plans to take control of the terminal in 2029 (with multi-million dollar rent payments set to start in 2026, per records).
The project also plans on using larger turbines than those used for Vineyard Wind, which is installing blades the length of a football field.
SouthCoast Wind has invested $15 million in the terminal, which “demonstrates our commitment to the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal for component [marshaling] and more importantly, the resulting economic benefits that will come to the region from our project,” said Michael Brown, the CEO Ocean Winds North America (SouthCoast Wind’s parent company), in a statement.
On Thursday, Gov. Maura Healey will join officials to celebrate similar private-public investments at a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal, which is set to be completed by 2026. The 42-acre site is tentatively set to support two projects, New England Wind 1 and Vineyard Wind 2.
“As the offshore wind industry grows and expands, so does Massachusetts’ port infrastructure,” said Healey in a statement on MassCEC’s announcement. “Throughout its history, the Port of New Bedford has served as a nexus of New England’s economy, from whaling, to fishing, to offshore wind. The investments in and expansion of the port will help maintain Massachusetts’ global leadership in offshore wind.”
A MassCEC spokesperson said the agency anticipates both terminals will be simultaneously active for marshaling work in the years ahead.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
