New London State Pier Lands Wind Energy Contract

NEW LONDON, CT - Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the state and its partners have reached an agreement on a harbor development plan for State Pier that will establish it as a central hub for the region's offshore wind industry, according to a statement.

The Connecticut Port Authority and terminal operator Gateway are partnering with Bay State Wind, a joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource, on a new deal that will redevelop State Pier. The plan is to create a $93 million state-of-the-art port facility through public-private investment for upgrading infrastructure and heavy-lift capabilities.

"Connecticut’s maritime economy has significant potential to drive economic growth and create jobs across the state, and redeveloping State Pier is a central component to that growth," Lamont said in a statement. "This new public-private partnership reaffirms the unwavering commitment of the state to increase procurement of offshore wind and make the economic expansion of our maritime economy a reality."

A three year development project is intended to upgrade the facility infrastructure to meet the heavy-lift requirements of Ørsted and Eversource’s offshore wind components.

Then, Ørsted and Eversource will enter into a ten-year lease agreement granting their joint venture the use of State Pier for wind turbine generator assembly and staging.

Construction is tentatively slated to begin in January 2020 and finish in March 2022.

"This agreement puts us one step closer to enabling the State Pier to reach its full economic potential as a wind-turbine hub by leveraging state tax dollars to invest in renewable-energy projects that benefit us all," State Treasurer Shawn Wooden said in a statement.

"Unleashing State Pier’s vast potential is our collective priority," Sen. Paul Formica (R-East Lyme), Ranking Republican Senator on the legislature’s Energy and Technology Committee, said in a statement. "Our shared goal is to turn New London’s port into the offshore wind capital of the Northeast and open New London to more maritime businesses. This will continue to be a true team effort and I commend the team on its continued push to turn New London and southeastern Connecticut into a regional hub for green jobs."