Executives Tout Wind Power Project In Bridgeport

Peter Denious is CEO and David Campbell vice president of business development for AdvanceCT, a state economic development partner. In this commentary that appeared first in the Hartford Business Journal they highlight Governor Ned Lamont’s green technology initiatives including the Park City Wind project in Bridgeport.

Pivotal to these efforts are the state’s offshore wind projects, Revolution Wind and Park City Wind, representing 1.2 gigawatts in currently contracted power, enough juice to light 110 million LEDs or propel 9,000 Nissan Leafs.

Revolution Wind is being developed by Eversource Energy and Ørsted. Its land base will be State Pier in New London. Through a $235.5 million public-private partnership with Eversource and Ørsted, State Pier is being transformed into a state-of-the-art hub for wind turbine staging and assembly.

Park City Wind is being developed by Vineyard Wind LLC in Bridgeport. The developer is leasing space at Barnum Landing for construction and staging, and will locate its Connecticut headquarters in Bridgeport, too.

Both projects are spinning forward. Construction in New London is expected to commence this summer. The U.S. Department of the Interior recently issued final approval to the Vineyard Wind I project, which is adjacent to Park City Wind.

With these two projects, Connecticut is off to a great start to capture a share of the 83,000 new jobs forecast to be created by offshore wind projects nationally by 2030.

Offshore wind farms generate valuable ancillary jobs, too. For every $1 spent on manufacturing, another $2.79 is added to the economy. For every worker in manufacturing, another five employees are hired elsewhere.

Construction workers will erect dockside staging and assembly facilities. Manufacturers will produce the component parts of the wind turbines. Technicians will perform ongoing maintenance and repair. Software and IT experts will engage in the provision of sensors, monitoring systems, and performance optimization software.

Let’s leverage the state’s skilled workforce and rich manufacturing base to fill those jobs in-state.

Eversource and United Illuminating have a vital role in assisting with interconnection, managing the integration of renewable power into the grid, and mitigating intermittency. Both companies are focused on bringing the economic benefits that come with building a new industry.