Cape businesses hopeful about offshore wind projects – Cape Cod Times (subscription)

Mary Ann Bragg @MaryAnnBraggCCT

NEWTONOptimism was in the air Wednesday.

Inside a conference room at the Boston Newton Marriott, offshore wind energy developers met potential suppliers of the materials, labor and facilities for their projects on 15-minute speed dates.

In the room with 250 people, two of the three developers with thousands of acres leased south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket for offshore wind farms predicted construction on the projects in the early 2020s. A sense of relief and excitement prevailed among attendees, including those with ties to Cape Cod.

There have been a lot of these sessions, starting with Cape Wind, said ocean safety consultant Ron Beck. The thing that distinguishes this is that there are turbines in the water, and the industry is now spending money.

Wednesdays conference, sponsored by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, was a chance for wind farm developers Deepwater Wind, Bay State Wind and Vineyard Wind, along with turbine manufacturers and major contractors, to describe what materials and manpower they will need, how they might obtain it, and a timeline for the projects. Port and infrastructure facilities in New Bedford, Fall River and Boston were also discussed.

The offshore wind companies are drawn to Massachusetts with the guarantee of power sales from a bill signed by Gov. Baker in 2016, requiring the states three electric distribution companies to buy 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind energy within 10 years. The first competitive bid solicitation is expected at the end of the month.

A 1,600-megawatt procurement for the U.S. is absolutely significant and will kick-start the industry, said Thomas Brostrom, general manager for North America for DONG Energy, which has partnered with Eversource Energy on Bay State Wind.

For some at the conference, though, the Cape Wind project was still in the back of their minds.

Maritime consultant Thomas Bushy recalled a Cape Wind conference several years ago at which a union diver asked about jobs, and Bushy had told him there would be plenty.

This is it, Bushy said. Im really happy to see that the vision that I was part of is happening.

Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce chief of staff Christopher Adamssaid offshore wind is a new source of year-round jobs for residents. The thorny days of Cape Wind are over, he said.

The controversial 130-turbine Cape Wind project planned on 30 acres in Nantucket Sound remains in good standing with its federal lease payments but is not seen as a viable project by state offshore wind proponents after losing critical power contracts in 2015.

There are many roles to be played and a lot of opportunities for the old manufacturers, said Carl Horstmann, president of Middleboro-based Mass Tank, which makes water and fuel tanks.

The company, along with Gulf Island Fabrication and EEW, had intended to partner with Cape Wind president James Gordon.

We all learned and are very thankful to Jim Gordon for being a trailblazer and pushing everybody towards renewable energy, said Horstmann, who attended the Wednesday conference where Gulf Island and EEW, among others, gave presentations.

Mass Tank could supply any of the metal fabrication needs of the developers, Horstmann said.

Beck, along with Megan Amsler, executive directorof Cape & Islands Self-Reliance in North Falmouth, and others hope to supply training for the industry.

The industry is already clamoring for this, Amsler said about a suite of safety classes based on Global Wind Organization standards, such as how to survive in the open ocean.

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy could be the first in North and South America to offer a one-stop shop for the certifications, Amsler said.

The school, located in Buzzards Bay, will very likely be able to adapt its current vessel safety training, based on U.S. Coast Guard standards, to offshore wind, said Hung Tom Pham, who directs the academys Marine Hydrokinetic Research Center.

But we want to make sure the training is properly geared to not only the U.S. standard but also the European standard, Pham said.

In the fall, Bristol Community College, headquartered in Fall River, will offer new coursework for a wind turbine technician position, predicted to be a fast-growing career in the next decade with pay starting in the mid-$50,000 range, said Paul Vigeant, a workforce development specialist at the college.

Follow Mary Ann Bragg on Twitter: @maryannbraggCCT.

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Cape businesses hopeful about offshore wind projects - Cape Cod Times (subscription)