As northeastern states boost their reliance on renewable energy, New London State Pier has potential as a long-term player in the emerging offshore wind industry.
However, what that will look like hinges on negotiations between the international energy company Orsted, the recently selected pier operator Gateway New London LLC, the Connecticut Port Authority and city leaders.
Orsted is not part of Gateway’s 20-year contract to operate State Pier, even though over the last few months Orsted officials laid out a vision of working with Gateway to help transform State Pier into a world-class offshore wind hub supporting upcoming projects and potentially drawing suppliers and manufacturers to the region.
While Orsted’s 200-megawatt Revolution Wind project picked up steam last month, when regulators approved an additional 100 megawatts in the state’s zero-carbon electricity auction, the 800-megawatt Constitution Wind farm proposed by Orsted and Eversource lost out in the auction, which saw regulators tap Millstone Power Station for the bulk of incoming power. Meanwhile, New London’s State Pier is benefiting from almost $22.5 million the company has committed to infrastructure upgrades.
Port Authority officials and Matthew Satnick, co-CEO and chairman of Enstructure, Gateway’s financial partner, said the parties could not comment on negotiations. But Satnick said Gateway was “working closely with the Connecticut Port Authority and the major offshore wind companies to realize the offshore wind opportunity for New London State Pier.”
Port Authority Chairman Scott Bates described Gateway as “a world-class operation” with expertise at creating jobs for local workers. He said Gateway’s proposal, which should create at least four dozen direct port operations jobs, “matched our vision of enhancing the maritime economy of the state.”
“Now the real work can begin,” he added. “Choosing a terminal operator had to come first, and we wanted someone willing to pursue a mix of traditional business and opportunities in the emerging power sector of offshore wind,” he said.
The state-financed pier in New Bedford, Massachusetts, has similarly positioned that city as a potential hub for wind industry companies serving that state’s future wind farms.
