I can across this quote in an article I recently read
Construction on the nation’s first two commercial-scale wind farms is well underway off the coasts of New York and Massachusetts
If this is the case, who are the companies providing the support vessels and where are they working out of?
Foss
There is a major support base in New Bedford, but I have no idea which project(s) they are supporting.
How many vessels?
“Foss” has built an offshore wind base in New Bedford which is supporting the construction of the Vineyard Wind project. However, I suspect that Foss is just an American front for the foreign offshore wind developers.
“Crowley” has built an offshore wind base in Salem. Again, I suspect that Crowley is just an American front.
I’m not sure who, maybe Rienhauer, is developing Quanset as an offshore wind base.
Guice Offshore (GO) has acquired an office building in Providence.
Haugland is trying to develop an offshore wind base up the Hudson River.
I believe that McAllister is getting into offshore wind.
American companies are getting the CTV (Crew Transfer Vessel) end of the business.
Foss, Crowley, Reinhauer, GO, McAllister, and a few others are supporting offshore wind.
The vessels actually building offshore wind are foreign flag with foreign crews.
The American companies are just getting the Jones Act required cargo and passengers from US ports work.
New Yorks “South Fork Wind” is a small project getting ready to come on-line. I think its only 12 turbines. Funny thing is it’s not really near NY. It’s between Block Island (RI) and Martha’s Vineyard (MA). Likely served by ports in those states (Quonset, Providence, New Bedford) as they are closest.
A front? What do you mean? Foss and Crowley both have boats with Americans working them, so what’s the front?
I suspect that the shore bases are bought with foreign money, but I don’t know that, and that Crowley and Foss are just “operators” of the foreign owned US shore bases.
Crowley, Foss, and others do have a few of their American crewed boats chartered to transport cargo to the foreign vessels with foreign crew that are actually building the foreign owned wind farms to supply electricity to the foreign owned utility companies in the US Northeast.
I’m glad that Crowley, Foss, and others are getting some good business out of US Offshore Wind for their boats and crews.
I hear that Foss is paying $900something for captains in the Northeast. That’s good. I haven’t heard recently what other companies are paying. I heard awhile ago that the CTV captains were around $5oo-600.
Don’t think you are too far off in your logic Tugsailor
This breaks it down pretty easily. Crowley/Foss got state funding and tax breaks. Crowley leasing to Wind Farm operator. Don’t see where the wind companies themselves are ponying up anything other than rent.
The Salem Harbor Wind Terminal is a public-private partnership signed between Crowley and the city of Salem, with AVANGRID serving as the port’s anchor tenant through its Commonwealth Wind and Park City Wind projects.
Crowley got a $75 million grant from the state.
Avangrid is the anchor tenant. Avangrid is owned by Ibedrola, a Spanish utility company that owns some of the “local” electric utility companies in the Northeast.
It does not say how much of Crowley’s own money, if any, went into this. I’m curious about that.
Avangrid’s lease payments (which are ultimately paid by electric ratepayers (consumers)) through electric bills apparently are projected to be enough to make the wind terminal profitable for Crowley and the City of Salem.
The article didn’t give as much info about Foss in New Bedford, but Foss got $15 million in grants.
Other articles indicate that Orsted (Demark), Avangrid (Spain), Shell (The Netherlands), and BP (UK) are all paying $ millions in penalties to cancel PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements), so that they can re-negotiate for much higher rates (that will ultimately be paid by consumers).
Totally concur regarding consumer cost going forward. Sandbridge politicians finally agreed with the voters to not allow the transmission lines to come through thier property for the Kitty Hawk wind project. Good for the NIMBYS this time, Most of the Outer Bankers didn’t want this project to start with. Nor did I., It’s not called graveyard of the Atlantic for no reason.