In partnership with the EEW Group of Germany, the world’s leading manufacturer of offshore wind energy structural components, Mass Tank will establish the first wind power facility in the country for the manufacture of these offshore wind turbines components and create more than 100 jobs – with the potential to exceed 350 jobs – as Massachusetts becomes a major supplier to offshore wind farm installations up and down the Atlantic Coast.
"This agreement between Cape Wind, Mass Tank and EEW will create hundreds of new manufacturing jobs in Massachusetts as we take the lead on offshore wind energy in the United States," said Governor Patrick. "This is what our clean energy future is all about."
"We are pleased that Cape Wind is helping catalyze the emergence of an offshore wind turbines manufacturing and supply chain in Massachusetts," said Jim Gordon, president of Cape Wind. "Massachusetts’ potential of becoming a center for the offshore renewable energy industry with all the attendant jobs and economic development benefits are the results of Governor Patrick’s leadership and strong support for a clean energy economy."
"We are very excited to have the opportunity to participate in this first-of-its-kind manufacturing facility serving the offshore wind industry in the United States," said Carl Horstmann, CEO of Mass Tank. "This project will help spearhead Massachusetts as a supply-chain leader in offshore wind, creating hundreds of jobs for the Commonwealth. This is a great example of the public and private sectors working together, and I’d like to thank Governor Patrick and the Cape Wind team for making this possible."
"EEW has been a producer of heavy walled steel pipes for the offshore oil and gas and offshore wind power industries since the mid 1970s, and this presents a strong opportunity to serve a new market and fulfill the company’s goal of producing pipes on a global basis," said Timothy Mack, head of business development, offshore wind, for EEW. "We believe strongly in Cape Wind and are excited about this partnership extending EEW into the U.S. offshore wind energy market."
Cape Wind Associates has entered into a Letter of Intent with Mass Tank and EEW to purchase monopile foundations and transition pieces, which connect the foundation to the turbine tower, as well as other related steel products including platforms, ladders, and piping, for construction of its wind project in Nantucket Sound. Mass Tank, a longtime manufacturer of steel storage tanks, will enter into a partnership with Erndtebrucker Eisenwerk GmbH & Co. KG (EEW) to provide offshore wind energy components from a new facility located at a Massachusetts site to be determined, as well as EEW’s European production facilities.
"This is great news for the town of Middleboro and the Mass Tank Sales Corporation as this project will create hundreds of jobs. I am very pleased to see a company based in my district make such a major investment in the renewable energy future of Massachusetts. I applaud the Obama Administration as well as the Patrick-Murray Administration for their continued commitment to renewable energy opportunities," said Senator Marc Pacheco.
As the first offshore wind energy project in the United States, Cape Wind will create construction jobs, reduce dependence on volatile energy sources and make Massachusetts a world leader in clean energy development, deployment and jobs. Siemens, Inc., a leading European wind turbine manufacturer, is under contract to provide wind turbines for Cape Wind, and has established its U.S. offshore wind headquarters in Boston as a result of the Cape Wind project. The U.S. Department of Energy has invested $24 million in federal Recovery Act funding in a Wind Technology Testing Center (WTTC) in Boston, the site of today’s announcement, in order to assess the large-scale wind turbine blades suitable for offshore wind installation. Between Cape Wind and the WTTC, Boston is poised to become the hub of an offshore wind energy industry along the Atlantic Coast.
At least four other states are also pursuing the development of wind energy projects off their coasts. A recent report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory states that full development of U.S. offshore wind potential could create 43,000 permanent jobs and generate $200 billion in economic activity.
