A Rhode Island company (a firm at Quonset Business park) has been tapped to help construct the foundations for five wind turbines to be built off of Block Island in 2015 — the first offshore wind farm in the United States, the developer has announced.
Welders and other trade workers at Specialty Diving Services, based at Quonset Point in North Kingstown, will make some of the foundation components, which include steel jackets, decks and piles, according to Deepwater Wind. The work will span several months early next year.
Deepwater, the Providence-based firm whose long-proposed offshore project was fully permitted in September, said on Tuesday that it had selected Gulf Island Fabrication to construct the foundations. Fabrication will take place at its facilities in Houma, Louisiana and the five foundations are expected be delivered to Rhode Island in the summer.
“We are excited to begin working on the first U.S. offshore wind farm. Rhode Island is leading the way in this new industry and it is great that Rhode Islanders will be building part of this project.” Nick Tanionos, CEO of Specialty Diving Services, Inc., said in a statement.
Said Deepwater CEO Jeffrey Grybowski, “Gulf Island Fabrication brings world-class, industry-leading experience to the job, and we’re thrilled to add them as a partner,. We are very happy that Gulf Island Fabrication has teamed up with a great Rhode Island company like Specialty Diving Services. This team is a win-win: world-class experience and jobs for Rhode Islanders.”
The 30-megawatt wind farm will be constructed three miles southeast of Block Island.
