Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc., and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), announced that Southwire, a US based company, will be a key supplier for the design, manufacturing and installation of the onshore cables for Vineyard Wind 1.
“We’re proud to partner with Southwire, a leading US company that clearly sees the tremendous potential of offshore wind,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Lars T. Pedersen. “Partnerships with US companies at all levels of the supply chain and in different regions of the country will be essential to maximizing the potential of this industry here in the US. Vineyard Wind 1 has already teamed up with some strong local partners and we look forward to many more partnerships like this as we take the next step to construct the project.”
“Vineyard Wind 1 is an exciting project for all involved, including Southwire,” said Rich Stinson, Southwire President and CEO. “Through this partnership, Southwire is providing a comprehensive solution to our customer, while also supporting our commitment to sustainability. We’re proud to partner with companies like Vineyard Wind that have similar missions to support the wellbeing of our communities and the environment in which we live.”
Southwire’s facility in Huntersville, N.C. will manufacture the high voltage cable for the onshore portion of the project. Built in 2012, the plant consists of a 250,000-square-foot facility, featuring state-of-the-art technology for producing high-voltage and extra high-voltage underground transmission cables, ranging from 69kV to 500kV.
“We’re excited to get to this stage in the project, and to partner with a US based company like Southwire,” said Sy Oytan, Deputy CEO of Vineyard Wind. “We believe that offshore wind will trigger supply chain development that will create thousands of good paying new jobs in the US. Vineyard Wind is delighted to work with Southwire to integrate the American workforce into this new and important industry.”
For the Vineyard Wind 1 project, the plant will manufacture more than 32 miles of high voltage cable. Southwire’s high voltage field services team, working with local laborers, will install the cable with a projected onshore site completion by the first quarter of 2023. The cable will be part of the grid system that will be ready to provide power to 400,000 households from the 62 GE turbines. The turbines themselves are planned to start being installed in the Summer of 2023.
“Although we were not able to meet in person due to the pandemic, it was important to both of our organizations to meet virtually and officially sign the paperwork for this project,” said Norman Adkins, Southwire’s EVP chief commercial officer. “Southwire is very excited to work with Vineyard Wind and provide a comprehensive solution for their business needs. Our company prides itself on delivering success and evolving our organization in a sustainable manner that provides unparalleled products and services, and this opportunity reflects that commitment.”
Vineyard Wind 1, an 800 MW offshore wind farm to be located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, is slated to be the first commercial scale offshore wind farm in the United States. It will consist of 84 turbines, each with a 9.5 MW capacity, and is expected meet the energy needs of over 400,000 homes and businesses.
Vineyard is aiming to have the project operational by 2024. The project is being developed by Vineyard Wind LLC based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The company is 50 percent owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and 50 percent by Avangrid Renewables. Vineyard Wind is expected to reach financial close in the second half of 2021.
