Offshore wind energy development company Vineyard Wind has announced that 350 Fairfield Ave. in Bridgeport will serve as the Connecticut headquarters for its Park City Wind project.
The Park City Wind office 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.
Based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Vineyard Wind ”“ a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners ”“ has also leased space at the city”™s Barnum Landing at 525 Seaview Ave., which will be used as a construction and staging site for the 804-megawatt project that will be built in Vineyard Wind”™s federally designated lease area 23 miles off the coast of Massachusetts.
That 15-acre parcel 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 offshore wind industry can help transform Bridgeport”™s waterfront into a hub for a new and growing industry,” said Vineyard Wind Deputy CEO Sy Oytan. “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 Gov. Ned Lamont. “These investments will lead to good jobs and cleaner energy. It”™s an exciting moment for Bridgeport and our state”™s future.”
“This is great news for Bridgeport,” Mayor Joseph Ganim said. “Park City Wind will also offer immediate labor opportunities for our workforce as they employ men and women in the construction trade at their Barnum Landing location.”
The Park City Wind project was selected by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in December of 2019 to provide 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 job years.
