Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) CEO Alicia Barton McDevitt today announced the release of the construction bid for the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal.
The announcement closely follows the project’s environmental approval on Nov. 19 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Once constructed, the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal will be the first facility in the nation designed to support the construction, assembly, and deployment of offshore wind projects. The terminal will also be able to handle high-volume bulk and container shipping, as well as large specialty marine cargo. As part of construction, the project includes the dredging and removal of 244,600 cubic yards of contaminated sediment caused by industrial waste generated during the 1930s and 1940s, a significant environmental benefit to the City of New Bedford. The first of its kind in North America, the terminal has been engineered to sustain mobile crane and storage loads that rival the highest capacity ports in the world.
Bids are due by Jan. 23, 2013. Construction is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2013 and be completed in 2014.
“ The development of an offshore wind industry in Massachusetts will not only create jobs but provide an abundant local source of clean and reliable energy, ” said Barton McDevitt . “ This is another significant step toward the construction of a first-in-the-nation facility, which will establish Massachusetts as the hub for offshore wind development along the East Coast .”
“ Today’s announcement is further demonstration of why New Bedford will be the birthplace of offshore wind energy in North America, ” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell. “ No other port enjoys the same competitive advantages: proximity to the natural resource, a deep-water harbor, a major state financial commitment, federal regulatory approvals, strong community support and a qualified labor force with two-hundred years seafaring experience. ”
The terminal, which will be located inside New Bedford Harbor and protected by the hurricane barrier, will be in close proximity to offshore wind planning areas along the East Coast that are under consideration for development. The federal government is leading an offshore wind permitting and leasing process in nine states, including Massachusetts, along the Atlantic Coast. That process is expected to lead to the construction of multiple projects, many of which could make use of this first-in-the-nation facility.
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Press Release, December 14, 2012; Image: EPA