Offshore

Ørsted, Eversource sign helicopter contract to support U.S. offshore wind projects

Ørsted, Eversource sign helicopter contract to support U.S. offshore wind projects
HeliService International has been awarded a contract to support the joint offshore wind projects of Eversource and Ørsted in the Northeast U.S. (Courtesy: HeliService International)

Seemingly every day, the U.S. offshore wind industry supply chain takes a step forward.

Eversource and Ørsted said they secured a helicopter contract for crew change operations at their joint offshore wind projects in the Northeastern U.S. The agreement with HeliService International marks one of the first helicopter contracts for U.S. offshore wind projects, the companies said.

The Leonardo AW169 helicopters will be assembled in Philadelphia and based at the Quonset State Airport in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The agreement will result in about $1.8 million of infrastructure upgrades at the airport, according to a press release.

The Leonardo AW169 is powered by two Pratt and Whitney PW210 series engines. The helicopter can lift wind technicians to and from the top of wind turbines, and transport crew members to work locations.

Agreements like the one signed between Eversource, Ørsted, and HeliService are expected to help ensure that the U.S. offshore wind supply chain "benefits American workers for years to come," according to Julia Bovey, Eversource's director of offshore wind external affairs.

Eversource, the Northeast electric utility, and Ørsted, an international developer of offshore wind projects, are partners on the South Fork Wind, Sunrise Wind, and Revolution Wind projects. Once completed, the projects will have a combined capacity of 1.8 GW.

Leaders celebrate the groundbreaking for South Fork Wind-- New York's first offshore wind project (Courtesy: South Fork Wind)

Construction began on the 132 MW South Fork Wind project, New York's first offshore wind project, in February. The project is 19 miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island. The project is approved to install 12 or fewer wind turbines and is expected to use Siemens-Gamesa’s 11 MW turbines. Kiewit Offshore Services won a contract to will design and build the project’s substation.

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Last year, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced that it would conduct an environmental review of the 924 MW Sunrise Wind project, which is expected to reach commercial operation in 2024.

Pictured, left to right: U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm; Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee; EversourceEnergy CEO and President Joe Nolan; Ørsted Offshore North American CEO David Hardy. Last December, Eversource and Ørsted unveiled a new regional offshore wind construction hub being built at ProvPort in Providence, Rhode Island to support the companies' portfolio of joint ventures. (Courtesy: Ørsted and Eversource)

Sunrise Wind is expected to be the first offshore wind project in the U.S. to be connected to the grid using a high-voltage direct current transmission system. Siemens Energy was awarded the contract to build two converter stations, while Aker Solutions is responsible for the platform consisting of a steel jacket substructure, and a topside platform deck housing the electrical equipment.

BOEM is also preparing an environmental assessment of the 704 MW Revolution Wind project offshore Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Last December, Eversource and Ørsted unveiled a new regional offshore wind construction hub being built at ProvPort in Providence, Rhode Island to support the companies' portfolio of joint ventures. The facility will be used for the construction of advanced foundation components for foundations.

The offshore wind construction hub at ProvPort represents a combined investment of $40 million.