Ramboll Environ, along with team partners, has secured a contract for studying unexploited offshore wind energy potential in the coast of Massachusetts.
The team is comprised of Apex and other local engineering firms, the University of Massachusetts (Boston) Urban Harbors Institute and the Tufts University, in addition to Ramboll.
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) has awarded the contract to evaluate the potential of untapped offshore wind energy in the region.
According to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the untapped offshore wind energy is expected to be about 2,000GW in the US, which is twice the nation’s use of electricity per year.
Last year, the first offshore wind farm in the US has been completed off the coast of Rhode Island.
MassCEC’s offshore wind ports and infrastructure assessment includes a series of tasks, comprising of assessing underdeveloped waterfront sites in Massachusetts that can be tapped and developing through private investment to support both near-term and long-term offshore wind activities.
The property assessments resulting from the study will enable offshore wind developers, manufacturers and private investors to select sites to fabricate, manufacture, stage, deploy and service offshore wind components in Massachusetts and along the East Coast.
Project principal David Lis said: “This is an exciting opportunity, since it literally positions us on the ground floor of a potentially huge transformation within the US energy industry.
“Ramboll has been a key force in the offshore wind industry in the Nordics and across Europe, so the experience and expertise that we bring to this project and to the industry generally are invaluable.”
Image: Ramboll Environ and other team members to study untapped offshore wind energy potential in Massachusetts.