🔒Wind power and renewable energy are big growth opportunities for CT

As Connecticut emerges from the pandemic, clean technology can catapult the state’s economy for years to come.

Gov. Ned Lamont seeks to attain 100% zero-carbon power by 2040. He’s proposed a $200 million “Greentech Fund” to jump-start a boom in areas like battery technology and recycling, which could create 2,000 jobs.

Pivotal to these efforts are the state’s offshore wind projects, Revolution Wind and Park City Wind, representing 1.2 gigawatts in currently contracted power, enough juice to light 110 million LEDs or propel 9,000 Nissan Leafs.

Revolution Wind is being developed by Eversource Energy and Ørsted. Its land base will be State Pier in New London. Through a $235.5 million public-private partnership with Eversource and Ørsted, State Pier is being transformed into a state-of-the-art hub for wind turbine staging and assembly.

Park City Wind is being developed by Vineyard Wind LLC in Bridgeport. The developer is leasing space at Barnum Landing for construction and staging, and will locate its Connecticut headquarters in Bridgeport, too.

Both projects are spinning forward. Construction in New London is expected to commence this summer. The U.S. Department of the Interior recently issued final approval to the Vineyard Wind I project, which is adjacent to Park City Wind.

With these two projects, Connecticut is off to a great start to capture a share of the 83,000 new jobs forecast to be created by offshore wind projects nationally by 2030.

Offshore wind farms generate valuable ancillary jobs, too. For every $1 spent on manufacturing, another $2.79 is added to the economy. For every worker in manufacturing, another five employees are hired elsewhere.

Construction workers will erect dockside staging and assembly facilities. Manufacturers will produce the component parts of the wind turbines. Technicians will perform ongoing maintenance and repair. Software and IT experts will engage in the provision of sensors, monitoring systems, and performance optimization software.

Let’s leverage the state’s skilled workforce and rich manufacturing base to fill those jobs in-state.

Eversource and United Illuminating have a vital role in assisting with interconnection, managing the integration of renewable power into the grid, and mitigating intermittency. Both companies are focused on bringing the economic benefits that come with building a new industry.

Finally, we have a great opportunity to recast the state’s deep-water ports as cutting-edge facilities with updated infrastructure and heavy-lift capabilities.

These enhancements will increase the attractiveness of the docks, enabling the state to accommodate a wider range of cargo and handle more vessel calls, and to collect more revenue.

The State Pier upgrade could revitalize the region, leveraging Southeastern Connecticut’s manufacturing and technology base to spur business development, coupled with New London’s expanded Foreign-Trade Zone.

A similar renaissance is envisioned for Bridgeport.

Our mission at AdvanceCT is to help Connecticut companies grow and expand while also recruiting new companies. To support state action on renewable energy, we are meeting with in-state manufacturers to discuss tapping into emergent supply chains, recruiting clean technology companies, and disseminating marketing materials to showcase the state’s strengths.

The state’s offshore wind projects are a win-win proposition. We stand ready to support their ongoing development.

Peter Denious is the CEO of AdvanceCT and David Campbell is the vice president of business development of AdvanceCT.