News release from Park City Wind:
Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), today announced that space in downtown Bridgeport will serve as the Connecticut headquarters for the company’s Park City Wind project. Additionally, the developer also announced that a lease at Barnum Landing has been signed to use the property as a construction and staging location for the 804-megawatt (MW) project.
“We are excited to announce the signing of leases for both our Connecticut headquarters and the construction and staging site for our Park City Wind project,” said Vineyard Wind Deputy CEO Sy Oytan. “The offshore wind industry can help transform Bridgeport’s waterfront into a hub for a new and growing industry. By taking important steps like this today, we can lay a larger foundation for the jobs of tomorrow.”
“This headquarters opening in Bridgeport represents some of the best examples of what we’re doing at the state level to invest in our cities and make our state a leader when it comes to our climate,” said Governor Ned Lamont. “These investments will lead to good jobs and cleaner energy. It’s an exciting moment for Bridgeport and our state’s future.”
“Today’s announcement is an important step forward in the state’s broader plans to capitalize on offshore wind energy’s vast economic opportunity,” said David Lehman, commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development. “Having Vineyard establish operations in Bridgeport is great news as it will bring jobs and additional economic vibrancy to the city’s waterfront.”
“We are excited to welcome Vineyard Wind and their growing footprint in Connecticut. This is the latest example of the offshore wind industry’s roots taking hold in Connecticut, making our crucial decarbonization goals possible while sprouting new clean energy jobs,” said Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes.
“This is great news for Bridgeport,” said Mayor Joseph Ganim. “Park City Wind will also offer immediate labor opportunities for our work force as they employ men and women in the construction trade at their Barnum Landing location. We look forward to a ribbon cutting and welcome Vineyard Winds Headquarters to their new downtown offices.”
“Park City Wind is a tremendous opportunity to revitalize Bridgeport by creating thousands of good paying jobs with good benefits in both the wind industry and throughout the local supply chain,” said State Representative Chris Rosario. “With Vineyard Winds headquarters in downtown Bridgeport, and their Park City Wind offshore development at Barnum Landing, they are honoring their commitment to provide these jobs in the great city of Bridgeport.”
The Park City Wind office will be located at 350 Fairfield Avenue and will be home to more than a dozen employees focused on project development, community outreach and workforce development. The office is expected to open this summer with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony.
Vineyard Wind also announced that Barnum Landing, a 15-acre parcel located at 525 Seaview Avenue, will be used during the construction phase of the Park City Wind project, which will include storage and assembly of the transition pieces, the portion of the turbine that anchors the body of the machines to the steel foundation. Once construction is completed, Vineyard Wind intends to use 3 acres of the port site for an operations and maintenance hub that will support local jobs for the 20-plus year lifespan of the project.
The Park City Wind project was selected by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in December of 2019 to provide 804 megawatts of clean, affordable and reliable energy to the state. Park City Wind, which will provide roughly 14% of the state’s electricity supply, represents the largest purchase of renewable energy in state history and is expected to include an estimated $890 million in direct economic development in Connecticut and support 2,800 full-time equivalent (FTE) job years. AVANGRID, a 50% partner in Vineyard Wind, is headquartered in Orange, Connecticut and has been serving the Constitution State for over a century through its subsidiaries United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas.
I know this will be successful. I’m beginning to feel the hot air coming out of this plan!
There’s enough hot air to go around Bridgeport & Connecticut
The hot air you refer to isn’t producing any electricity!
“…Park City Wind, which will provide roughly 14% of the state’s electricity supply, represents the largest purchase of renewable energy in state history and is expected to include an estimated $890 million in direct economic development in Connecticut and support 2,800 full-time equivalent (FTE) job years. AVANGRID, a 50% partner in Vineyard Wind, is headquartered in Orange, Connecticut and has been serving the Constitution State for over a century through its subsidiaries United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas….”
Wow!!! This should be very disturbing to any Connecticut consumers reading this piece. Here we have a subsidiary of an International/Spanish conglomerate with monopolistic control over all critical , conventional energy sources for a large, critical portion of the businesses/population of the worst-performing state economy in the country! Now they — an international conglomerate — are being handed the prerogative for control of the generation and distribution of another proportionately-large source of energy. Now this Spanish conglomerate is going to own our wind and ocean/air navigation space!
Lot’s of questions to ask here: How did DEEP decide to allow a foreign country to gain control of one our most critical, multi-modal energy monopolies — which was created by an act of the GA to be controlled and regulated by the state for the good of the people?!… Looks like some conflicted decision-making by DEEP… And isn’t transitioning to alternative-energy sources supposed to be for the good of the environment and the wallets of consumers? A foreign conglomerate owning our wind-energy options through the use of gigantic infrastructure doesn’t seem at all consumer- or environmentally-friendly to this Connecticutian…
Furthermore, 2500 temporary jobs derived from throughout the state and region, considered in terms of the virtual monopolization of Bridgeport’s harbor facilities by single entity (contributing only very modestly to the tax-base) — even as we seek to diversify and optimize our waterfront economic contribution — seems be bad/conflicted decision-making at the state and local levels…
… An ill-wind blows no good…
Sounds like an ill conceived Trump conspiracy theory to me Jeff
The “wind grid” doesn’t exist but the electrical grid is in poor shape and needs repair or replacement.
This blogger thinks the power grid is more important than highways or infrastructure. Here’s why:
The power (electrical) grid gets repaired once and it’s good for 100 years. Increased supply (power) would create its own demand and drive future growth. No other country has replaced its power grid. Electricity is the bedrock of civilization.
After all, those wind turbines are designed to produce electricity, right?
Highways (roads) need constant repair and their use is will decline when communication triumphs over transportation.