Vineyard Wind 1: Sail away of substation and jacket for the first commercial scale offshore wind farm in the US
Friday 26 May 2023
25th of May 2023 marks a significant date for the Vineyard Wind 1 project, as the offshore substation and jacket foundation left the quay at Bladt Industries’ production site in Southern Denmark heading for its destination 35 miles from mainland Massachusetts.
“We are immensely proud to be a part of Vineyard Wind 1, which will always carry a special status being the first commercial scale offshore wind farm in the US. Many years ago, we were a part of the first offshore wind projects in Denmark when the industry evolved here, and it feels great adding a new chapter to our story with our involvement in the first US project.”
Klaus Munck Rasmussen, Chief Project Officer, Bladt Industries.
Sail away is on time according to the original schedule and is a major milestone for the project team from Bladt Industries, Semco Maritime and ISC Consulting Engineers. Vineyard Wind 1 is carried out as an EPC contract, with ISC as a subcontractor, covering the design, procurement and construction of the 3,200 tons offshore substation and a 2,000 tons jacket foundation with four piles, which form the permanent anchorage to the seabed.
- We have had a very constructive collaboration with the client, Vineyard Wind LLC, and it has been a rewarding process to draw on our many years of experience and well-tested setup for the execution of this project, resulting in a safe handover to the client, says Steen Brødbæk, CEO, Semco Maritime.
Bladt has handled the steel manufacturing of the substation. Design and engineering were carried out by Semco Maritime and ISC, and installation of the electrical system was also carried out by Semco Maritime.
Bladt Industries and Semco Maritime have been targeting the US market for quite some time and has succeeded in winning 7 of the 11 offshore substations that have been awarded to date in US waters.
Being the first of its kind, Vineyard Wind 1 has gained a lot of public attention since the very early stages. Partly because of the environmental perspectives regarding reduction of carbon emissions and the prospect of powering over 400,000 Massachusetts homes and partly due to the derived economic effects from the wind farm that is expected to boost the offshore wind industry in Massachusetts with local job creation.
After arrival at the installation site, Vineyard Wind LLC will perform installation of the substation whereafter Semco Maritime and Bladt Industries will take over and begin work on the offshore commissioning during the summer.