The push to develop alternative energy sources has come to New Bedford, MA. Vineyard Wind, an offshore wind development company, is using New Bedford as a base for building the “first commercial-scale” offshore wind project in the country. When completed, 62 wind turbines will deliver electricity for an estimated 400,000 homes and businesses in the region.
The Marine Commerce Terminal was constructed in New Bedford to support the construction, assembly and deployment of offshore wind projects like Vineyard Wind. The component parts for wind turbines are delivered to the terminal largely from manufacturing sources in Europe. The 29-acre facility acts as an assembly and staging area, preparing the wind turbines for deployment out to Martha’s Vineyard.
Once the component parts of the wind turbine have been assembled, they are loaded on to special barges for transportation to Martha’s Vineyard. The logistics for transporting the loaded barges are complex, requiring the support of several tugboats, as well as the harbormasters of both New Bedford and Fairhaven. Weather conditions also need to be favorable, including limited winds and good visibility.
One of the trickier parts of each trip involves navigating the loaded barges through the New Bedford hurricane barrier. The gates of the hurricane barrier are approximately 150-feet wide.
