DCA Voices Support for US Offshore Wind Development

The Dredging Contractors of America (DCA), a trade association representing the U.S. dredging and marine construction industry, said it strongly supports the development of a robust offshore wind industry.

“As the industry grows in the United States and along the U.S. East Coast, the DCA and its companies are working with state and federal regulators on matters related to dredging operations,” said William P. Doyle, CEO of the Dredging Contractors of America.

The U.S offshore wind industry is working toward achieving the Biden Administration's goal of 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind generation capacity by 2030. As the sector continues to build up, there are many dredging-related operational matters to consider, DCA said. The trade group referenced, as examples, the depth of cover over the buried power lines as they come ashore, whether the power lines will run through sand ‘borrow sites’ used for beach nourishment and coastal restoration, how and where the power lines will cross under navigation channels; and any exclusionary zones where dredges may have to modify operations due to power line location.

DCA member The Dutra Group completed beach nourishment and coastal restoration projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Patrick Space Force Base in Brevard County, Fla. The project included placing sand on the base, and on the county’s Mid Reach and South Reach areas. The sand placement brings broader storm protection and habitat for endangered sea turtles and other threatened wildlife. The sand is dredged from an offshore borrow site called the Canaveral Shoals II, about five miles east of Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) partnered with the Corps, Brevard County, and the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing to replenish portions of the shoreline in Brevard. BOEM, the county and the Corps signed two separate agreements for the use of up to 1.9 million cubic yards of sand from federal waters to construct three Brevard project segments located at Mid-Reach, South-Reach and at Patrick.