Witch City wind power
Vineyard Wind, Salem want to use harbor as major port
Vineyard Wind has agreed with the city of Salem and Crowley Maritime Corp. to make Salem Harbor the state’s second major offshore wind port, after New Bedford, contingent on the state’s approval.
“With both New Bedford and Salem capable of delivering port operations needed for offshore wind, the state can ensure that both the South Coast and the North Shore can benefit from the creation of new, highly skilled and good paying jobs, something that will cement Massachusetts’ position as a leader in the new and growing offshore wind industry,” Vineyard Wind CEO Lars Pedersen said Thursday.
The company, which plans to build the nation’s first industrial-scale wind farm off the coasts of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, estimates that the project would create up to “400 full-time equivalent job years” during the revitalization of the port and up to another 500 full-time equivalents over the first five years of construction and staging for wind projects.
When asked to define “full-time equivalent job years,” a description not used by Pedersen when he announced that the federal government had given Vineyard Wind the go-ahead to build the wind farm, company spokesman Andrew Doba said in an email: “It’s an assessment of the work rather than a project job number. Basically, you can have one job that lasts 3 months and one that lasts 9 months and that would be 1 FTE. “
Under the proposed agreement, Crowley Maritime Corporation would buy the 42 acres surrounding Salem Harbor Station from Footprint Power LLC and would serve as the longterm offshore wind port operator for the site. The land used to be part of the former coal- and oil-fired Salem Harbor Station power plant.
“This site, in particular, has provided the electricity that has powered our community and our commonwealth for generations,” said Mayor Kimberley Driscoll. “Today, with this announcement, that legacy can continue with a new focus on a clean energy future, based on renewable power and with a shared commitment to positive action to mitigate climate change.”
The project also would expand the city’s commercial tax base considerably, Driscoll said.
The site would be used for turbine assembly and staging activities, storage and assembly of components, including blades and tower sections, as they’re prepared for offshore installation.