SALEM — At a virtual public hearing Wednesday night, officials provided an update on the progress of the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal project, which will expand the state’s ability to supply clean energy to residents.
During the meeting, officials laid out the project’s timeline, with this year being used for engineering and permitting and construction set to begin in summer 2023, with the goal of construction being complete and the terminal open by 2024-2025.
Mayor Kim Driscoll said that the site has always been used for energy and expressed hope that the new development of this direction will certainly provide for further economic growth, clean energy, and “very diverse and inclusive jobs in our community.”
“The hope was always that the natural gas would be a bridge to the future on that particular site,” said Driscoll.
After she spoke, both companies that will participate in the project, Crowley Wind Services and Avangrid, presented their ideas and plans for the project.
Arketa Howard, director of business and policy affairs at Crowley Wind Services, said that Crowley has been active on the ground in meeting the community to find out how it can be of use to the residents as it always strived to be socially responsible and to “have a relationship with the community.”
Howard said that the company that operates and owns 20 wind terminals aims at hiring locally.
John Berry, manager of terminal operations at Crowley Wind Services, presented the overview of the future project.
“Crowley Wind Services would like to add value to a total solution of renewable energy,” said Berry.
He also said that the company was focused on developing the trained local workforce, and that it has already started to collaborate with the local schools to allow its students to benefit from the opportunity.
“Salem is a maritime gem,” said Berry.
Kenneth Kimmel, vice president of Offshore Wind Development for Avangrid, a leading sustainable energy company, said that Salem presented a wonderful opportunity “environmentally and economically to move forward.”
He said that for the energy industry to develop, it needs three things – electric grid, trained workforce, and port infrastructure, and that if the Salem port project does not work out, another comparable location can be found as far as Canada or Virginia as port infrastructure is a scarce resource.
“Salem is an ideal location for the next generation of ports,” said Kimmel. “Salem has an opportunity to truly be the hub of this new clean energy frontier.”
Seth Lattrell, the city’s port authority deputy planner, said that the new facility has a generational opportunity to stimulate growth to develop a new trained workforce, and raise additional taxes for the city.
Berry added that Salem was an ideal location for the project because of its short distance from the sea and the wind and its historical maritime presence. Kimmel continued by saying that the location was also suitable due to the absence of physical barriers and the depth of its channels.
During the meeting, which included a Q&A session, residents expressed concerns about the negative impacts of construction noise.
“We have a lot of suggestions like permanent and temporary sound barriers,” said John Russel.
Russel also expressed hope for the open lines of communication with the neighbors and that their input will be taken into consideration.
Berry said that the developers will be trying to mitigate the negative impacts for the community.
“The intent for us is just really to be a good neighbor,” said Berry.
Oksana Kotkina can be reached at [email protected].
