Bay State Wind, Unions and Educators to Collaborate on Worker Training

New Bedford, MA (May 7, 2018) — Bay State Wind has signed agreements with three major Massachusetts labor unions and two educational institutions to develop a training center in New Bedford. The new center would be part of a workforce development initiative to ensure that workers have the skills necessary to work in the emerging offshore wind industry.

Bay State Wind, which is bidding to build the first industrial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States, 25 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, has signed agreements with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) and its Power for America initiative, and the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, along with Bristol Community College and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, to develop offshore wind training center.

Bay State Wind will prioritize Massachusetts workers for the construction and operation of its wind farms. The company expects to hire up to 1,000 workers during the construction phase, which will use the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal to assemble and transport components to the wind area off Martha’s Vineyard. It also will create 100 permanent jobs over the 25-year life of the turbines, with an operations and maintenance facility that also will be located in New Bedford. In addition, the wind farm will support a $500 million investment in the commonwealth.

"We are very happy to be working with Bay State Wind, which is the only offshore wind developer that is committing to become a true Massachusetts company, by training and hiring local union labor," said Mike Monahan, International Vice President, second district, of the IBEW. "They are investing heavily in the commonwealth, and we know they will be here long-term, as a key partner in our clean energy future."

"Clean energy is the industry of the future," said Phillip Trombly, UWUA Regional Director of Offshore Wind. "We are 100 percent confident that Bay State Wind is not only best positioned to deliver clean power for the homes and businesses of Massachusetts on time and at a good price, but also to develop the local workforce needed for this brand new industry here in the United States."

"The U.S. commercial offshore wind industry is starting right here in Massachusetts," said Shawn Nehiley, Business Manager of Ironworkers Local-7. "These agreements demonstrate that Bay State Wind is committed to ensuring that our state gets off on the right foot to become an industry leader, and that our union workers are prepared and ready to do our part in launching this new energy sector in the United States."

Bay State Wind is a partnership between Ørsted, the world’s leader in offshore wind development, and Eversource, New England’s premier electric transmission company. Ørsted has 23 offshore wind farms in Europe and recently was awarded the right to develop a total of 1,450 megawatts of electricity with new projects in Germany and Taiwan.

"New Bedford has sent its people to sea for nearly three-hundred years, and in the process, became a global leader, first in whaling and then in commercial fishing," said New Bedford’s Mayor Jon F. Mitchell. "We see the establishment of an offshore wind training center here as an important step in staking our claim in the emerging offshore wind industry. We appreciate Bay State Wind’s commitment to preparing the industry’s workforce, and we look forward to working with our partners in higher education and organized labor to make the proposed center a reality."

"At Eversource, we have a longstanding relationship of teamwork and mutual respect with the unions whose members construct and maintain our lines," said Michael Auseré, vice president of business development at Eversource. "We’re thrilled that we’ll be working together with them as we move into the development of clean offshore wind energy here in Massachusetts."

"It is in our best interest to have a trained and well prepared workforce, and we are pleased to have such able partners in the IBEW, UWUA and the Ironworkers union, as well as with BCC and Mass Maritime," said Thomas Brostrøm, president of Ørsted North America. "I am confident that together, we can successfully launch a new, clean energy future for Massachusetts and for the United States."

Bay State Wind already has taken steps to establish the Massachusetts supply chain that is essential to creating jobs and investment. The company has signed an agreement with NEC Energy Solutions, a Massachusetts company headquartered in Westborough, to build a factory to manufacture storage batteries. Additionally, last month Bay State Wind reached an agreement with EEW, the international market leader in steel pipe manufacturing, to open and staff a Massachusetts plant to manufacture offshore wind components, in collaboration with Gulf Island Fabrication, a U.S.-based world leader in the construction of offshore and onshore energy facilities. EEW is considering a variety of sites for their new, Massachusetts plant, including locations on the South Coast.

Massachusetts’ evaluators are expected to decide by May 23 which of three developers will be awarded the right to build the first wind farm.

About Bay State Wind

Bay State Wind is a proposed offshore wind project located 25 miles off the Massachusetts South Coast and 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. The project is a joint venture between Ørsted – the global leader in offshore wind – and Eversource – New England’s premier transmission builder. Bay State Wind brings the experience of developing 23 projects around the world, on time and on budget, as well as deep expertise in building transmission within New England, and sophisticated knowledge of the region’s electrical grid. Bay State Wind’s proposed commercial-scale offshore wind project will create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs over the lifetime of the project, drive economic growth, provide cost-competitive clean energy and bring a supply chain that establishes Massachusetts as the U.S. hub for a new American industry. For more information on Bay State Wind, visit baystatewind.com or follow us on Twitter @baystatewind.

Media Contact
Ørsted North America
Lauren Burm, 617-309-8730
laubu@orsted.com