Connecticut Plans State Pier Upgrades to Support Offshore Wind

The Governor of Connecticut Dannel P. Malloy is requesting an approval from the State Bond Commission for a USD 15 million investment to upgrade the State Pier in New London and enable it to be used for seven offshore wind projects planned in the northeast.

If the funding is approved on 1 June, the pier will see the demolition of selected structures, site upgrades, stormwater treatment and drainage improvements, upgrades to increase laydown capabilities, heavy lift pad construction, load-bearing capacity improvements, and replacement of mooring dolphins.

According to Malloy, the pier improvements will enable New London to have a competitive advantage compared to other northeastern ports.

Besides its proximity to lease areas offshore Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey, the New London pier offers a well-protected harbor with deep water access and a short transit to open sea with no height or width restrictions, the governor said.

“In the next 12 years, we expect to see 7 to 8 gigawatts of new, offshore wind power come online in the northeast alone,” Malloy said.

“With that new energy comes real economic opportunities for our region. As a result of these improvements, New London will be the perfect location to support the expansion of offshore wind. I have no doubt that the funding we invest today will have lasting economic benefits to the entire region in the years and decades to come.”

In February, Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) issued a Request for Proposals (RfP) seeking to solicit up to 825,000 MWh of offshore wind-generated power annually, which pushed the overall offshore wind target on the US East Coast over the 8GW mark.

Bay State Wind, Deepwater Wind and Vineyard Wind responded to the RfP by submitting bids to build the state’s first offshore wind farm.