Crowley Closes Land Deal for Massachusetts Offshore Wind Port

Jacksonville, Florida-based Crowley has completed the purchase of 42 acres in Salem, Massachusetts, where it will develop state’s second major offshore wind port terminal. 

The Salem Harbor Wind Terminal is a public-private partnership between Crowley and the City of Salem, with AVANGRID serving as the port’s anchor tenant through its Commonwealth Wind and Park City Wind projects.

The terminal will serve as a logistics and operations center for turbine pre-assembly, transportation, staging activities, and storage of assembly components.

Crowley Wind Services, the company’s business unit dedicated to helping develop clean wind energy resources, will operate the terminal.

“By closing on the property, Crowley, the City of Salem, and AVANGRID as the port’s anchor tenant, have moved one step closer to creating a dedicated port terminal to support the U.S. offshore wind industry’s growth,” said Bob Karl, senior vice president and general manager, Crowley Wind Services. “We will continue to focus on delivering a high performing terminal that the community can take pride in, providing economic opportunity and environmental sustainability.”  

The terminal site project will result in the redevelopment of the former Salem Harbor Station, a decommissioned coal-fired energy plant. Support of the construction and staging of wind projects and daily operations is expected to create more than 800 jobs (FTE job years).

“Crowley’s acquisition of this site in Salem marks an important step forward for Massachusetts’ offshore wind industry and the development of the critical port infrastructure needed to build a clean energy future in the United States,” said AVANGRID CEO Pedro Azagra. “The Commonwealth Wind project is a transformational opportunity that will bring substantial jobs, investment, and clean reliable energy to Massachusetts, and we are pleased to work with Crowley and the City of Salem as this important port project moves forward.”

“Crowley’s acquisition of this property represents a major milestone in our shared efforts to transform Salem Harbor into a world class offshore wind port,” said Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll. “I am grateful to both Crowley and Avangrid for their commitment to our partnership and to our community. This critical project will bring hundreds of good paying jobs and millions in direct investment to Salem and is critical to the Commonwealth’s ability to achieve our clean energy targets.”

The 1200 MW Commonwealth Wind project represents the largest offshore wind project in New England and will create 11,000 full time equivalent jobs over the project’s lifetime while generating enough energy to power 750,000 homes annually. Park City Wind, named after the City of Bridgeport, is an 804 MW offshore wind project to power that will power 400,000 homes per year for Connecticut.

In January 2022, AVANGRID announced the completion of the restructuring of its existing Vineyard Wind joint venture to become the largest offshore wind supplier in New England. In addition to the Commonwealth Wind and Park City Wind projects, it also holds 50% interest in the 800 MW Vineyard Wind, which is anticipated to be the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. when it begins commercial operations in 2024.

Construction of the Salem Harbor Wind Terminal is expected to start in summer 2023, with the terminal complete in 2025.