Vineyard Wind unveils first Tier 1 supplier in US

The agreement calls for Marmon Utility to establish manufacturing capabilities at its Connecticut facility producing Kerite cables to supply some or all of the inter-array cable cores needed for the Park City Wind project.

The agreement will enter into effect if Vineyard Wind is awarded long-term contracts from Connecticut to provide 800 MW or more offshore wind capacity in response to the state’s 2019 solicitation.

Under the planned partnership, Marmon Utility will invest up to US$4M to hire personnel and make equipment upgrades in their Kerite power cable facility allowing the company to manufacture inter-array cables for the Park City Wind project.

In turn, Vineyard Wind is committed to selecting Kerite cable brand as its preferred cable supplier for at least 50% of the project, which will make Kerite the first American Tier 1 Supplier in offshore wind.

The supply contract would lead to nearly US$40M in direct expenditures in Connecticut, while the Seymour facility expansion would create an estimated 35 permanent fulltime equivalent (FTE) jobs. Over the next decade, the expanded facility could create up to 350 FTE jobs and almost US$400M in direct revenue in Connecticut.

Vineyard Wind chief executive Lars Thaaning said the “announcement is an exciting step in the right direction” but was “only the beginning” and manufacturers all over the state could become part of an emerging industry.

Vineyard Wind submitted its Park City Wind proposal on 30 September 2019 to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The Park City Wind proposal includes options to develop an up to 1.2-GW project. The company claims Park City Wind also has the potential to establish Bridgeport as an American hub for the offshore wind industry in the country.