October 25 - Massachusetts will construct a new marine terminal in New Bedford, which will accommodate the delivery, assembly and installation of offshore wind turbines for the Cape Wind project.
Gov. Deval L. Patrick made the announcement last week, and said that the USD35 million New Bedford facility would host 600 to 1,000 jobs supported by construction of the Cape Wind farm in Nantucket Sound. The terminal is expected to open in 2012.
"In the first half of the 19th century, New Bedford produced the advanced fuel of the age - whale oil - and became known as 'The City That Lit the World," Patrick said. "Now, with this new terminal, and this first-in-the-nation project, New Bedford will once again begin to light the world, but this time with the clean, renewable energy resource of the 21st century - offshore wind."
The New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal will consist of a 1,200 ft (365.76 m) bulkhead with deep water access and roughly 20 acres of surface space. The governor's office said Cape Wind's turbine supplier, Siemens, would become the terminal's first tenant. The terminal will provide dock space for delivery and construction vessels as well as space to store the turbine parts.
When not in use for offshore wind projections, the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal will be available for other marine commercial and industrial activities.
