New Bedford breaks ground on harbor terminal to serve wind industry

New Bedford recently broke ground on what will be the first waterfront terminal in the country designed to support the development and maintenance of offshore wind farms.

New Bedford officials, including Mayor Jon Mitchell and City Council President Bruce Duarte, in April visited Denmark and the North Sea coast of Germany, where wind farms have been operating since the 1990s. According to Mitchell, the wind-power industry has helped the German port cities of Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven sharply reduce unemployment.

Mitchell said that New Bedford is well-positioned to follow a similar path, thanks to its deep-water port, its existing marine infrastructure, and the city’s proximity to areas where offshore wind farms are seen as feasible.

Much of the potential job growth would come from the supplying of parts, some of which are far too big to be transported by land. Wind turbine foundations, for example, can weigh as much as 900 tons, according to Mitchell.

“You can’t put these things on trucks or trains,” he said. “They need to be made in a port, so they can be put on a barge and put out to sea.”

Mitchell acknowledged that the emergence of a robust offshore wind industry is no sure bet.

“Whether the industry in the United States takes off is going to depend on the availability of federal tax credits; the willingness of states to create markets for renewable energy, by statute or administrative order; and things like the competitiveness of wind energy versus electricity generated by natural gas,” he said.

“These are things that are beyond the control of a municipality,” Mitchell added. “But whether the industry materializes here in New Bedford will also depend on the efforts of the municipality itself. We are making sure that we are doing everything we can to help us succeed.”