It is also the first commitment by a global offshore wind turbine manufacturer in a US-based supply chain, solidifying Siemens Gamesa’s presence in the US offshore wind market.
Siemens Gamesa will develop more than 80 acres/32 hectares at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Portsmouth, Virginia upon execution of a firm order for the 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project with Dominion Energy. Representing a cost of more than $200 million dollars, the facility would perform finishing of patented Siemens Gamesa Offshore IntegralBlades. Approximately 260 jobs at the facility are expected to be created when fully operational. Also, Siemens Gamesa intends to create around 50 service jobs to provide operations and maintenance services for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project.
Furthermore, to enable the blade facility, Siemens Gamesa entered a land lease agreement with the Virginia Port Authority, supported by Virginia state incentives for site improvements. When operational, the facility is immediately intended to support deliveries to the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project.
“We at Siemens Gamesa have shown the offshore wind industry the way for over 30 years” said Marc Becker, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit. “Establishing the industry’s first dedicated offshore wind turbine blade facility in the United States proves again that we are leading the offshore revolution. The US offshore market is a critical part of our overall global strategy, with our presence in Virginia playing a crucial and central role. Our multimillion US-dollar investment has been energised by the strong collaboration with Dominion Energy and support of Virginia’s legislature and authorities”.
The Siemens Gamesa blade facility represents another step to develop the Portsmouth Marine Terminal into an offshore wind hub. Siemens Gamesa will look to potentially expand the facility if awarded future projects in the region, creating additional jobs in the future.
The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project preferred supplier agreement remains subject to certain conditions including Dominion Energy’s final investment decision, governmental permitting, and other required approvals. The final number of SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines intended to be used likewise remains to be determined.
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