Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), announced a partnership with autonomous maritime solutions company ThayerMahan for seabed and infrastructure survey and inspection work in the waters off southern Massachusetts.
Based in Groton, Conn., ThayerMahan, specializes in seabed surveys, acoustic mitigation and monitoring, and other maritime related services and has facilities in Connecticut and Massachusetts. These operations are being conducted from the host vessel, Hornbeck Offshore's HOS Mystique, with mobilization and demobilizations being conducted from Gateway Terminal’s Montville facility at Horton Point.
“Partnering with local companies like ThayerMahan is an essential component of building out the offshore wind industry here in the U.S.,” said Klaus S. Moeller, CEO of Vineyard Wind. “The more we go local, the more we can ensure that the many jobs this industry will create in our region will not only take root but flourish.”
The HOS Mystique will have an Offshore Fishery Liaison (OFL) on board to help communicate with commercial fishermen working in the area, in addition to support from the Chicawa, a local fishing vessel that is employed by Vineyard Wind to help survey vessels avoid fixed gear and reduce potential gear entanglement. The vessels follow all marine mammal mitigation requirements.
“This project is another example of Vineyard Wind honoring its commitment to the local economy and regional workforce,” said Mike Connor, ThayerMahan President and CEO. “ThayerMahan is excited to support Vineyard Wind as the first and foremost, large-scale, wind farm development in the United States.”
The DeepOcean Group, with engineering support services provided by Jacobs Engineering, will provide the remotely operated vehicles (ROV).
Vineyard Wind, an 800-megawatt project located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, will generate electricity for more than 400,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, create 3,600 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) job years, save customers $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation, and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking 325,000 cars off the road annually.
Vineyard Wind 1 will begin delivering clean, renewable and cost-effective energy to Massachusetts in 2023.