Vineyard Wind picks cable supplier for US offshore wind project

Offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind LLC has committed to selecting US power cable maker Marmon Utility LLC as its preferred cable supplier for at least part of the proposed Park City Wind project off the coast of Connecticut.

Announcing their partnership on Monday, the duo said that Marmon Utility is to invest up to USD 4 million (EUR 3.59m) to grow its workforce and upgrade its Connecticut-based Kerite cable manufacturing facility so as to be able to produce the kind of offshore inter-array cables the Park City Wind project requires.

In return, Vineyard Wind will select Marmon Utility’s cable brand for at least 50% of the project, making Kerite "the first American Tier 1 Supplier in offshore wind", according to Monday's press release.

The partnership agreement is conditional upon Vineyard Wind being awarded long-term contracts from the state of Connecticut for at least 800 MW of offshore wind power capacity.

Responding to the state's solicitation for up to 2 GW of offshore wind, Vineyard Wind submitted a bid for a basic 408-MW scheme called Park City Wind with options to develop projects as large as 1,200 MW.

If the cable supply contract is awarded, the expanded Kerite manufacturing facility will create some 35 permanent full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, and up to 350 FTE jobs over the next decade.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.90)

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