A Crowley subsidiary has closed on a plot of land outside Boston with the intention to build a dedicated offshore wind facility.
The US maritime company said on Wednesday that it had completed the purchase of 42 acres of land in Salem, Massachusetts, where it will build the Salem Harbor Wind Terminal to support the nearby Commonwealth Wind and Park City Wind projects being developed by Avangrid Renewables.
Avangrid is set to be the facility’s anchor tenant once the facility completed in 2025.
“By closing on the property, Crowley, the city of Salem, and Avangrid as the port’s anchor tenant, have moved one step closer to creating a dedicated port terminal to support the US offshore wind industry’s growth,” Crowley Wind Services senior vice president Bob Karl said in a statement.
“We will continue to focus on delivering a high performing terminal that the community can take pride in, providing economic opportunity and environmental sustainability.”
The Commonwealth Wind project intends to produce more than 1,200 MW to power 750,000 homes in Massachusetts while the Park City Wind project will produce just over 804 MW to 400,000 homes in Connecticut.
Financial details were not released.
Avangrid is also a 50:50 partner in the Vineyard Wind project, alongside Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
In addition to the Salem terminal, Crowley Wind Services last year opened an office in Rhode Island to support offshore wind development there and Crowley launched a joint venture with Danish shipowner Esvagt to own and operate US-flagged service operation vessels.
Crowley first announced the Salem terminal project last year.
It replaces a decommissioned coal-fired power plant and is expected to support 800 jobs.
“Crowley’s acquisition of this property represents a major milestone in our shared efforts to transform Salem Harbor into a world class offshore wind port,” said Salem mayor Kimberley Driscoll.
“This critical project will bring hundreds of good paying jobs and millions in direct investment to Salem and is essential to the Commonwealth’s ability to achieve our clean energy targets.”
