Heerema has joined the growing roster of contractors lined up to build the first utility-scale US offshore wind farm after being lined up for foundation installation.

The Dutch offshore specialist will transport and install 84 monopiles and transition pieces for the 800MW Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts.

Heerema joins a supply chain that already includes its compatriot Sif, which will produce the monopiles, Bladt Industries for the project’s substation, cable group Prysmian and turbine supplier MHI Vestas.

Vineyard Wind suffered a double setback this week when a federal agency said it wasn’t ready to issue its final environmental impact statement (EIS) and a local authority rejected plans for undersea power cabling, citing fears of the local fishing industry.

The project is on a tight timetable as it races to enter full service by the end of 2021, maximising the benefits it can extract from the fading investment tax credit (ITC) federal incentive for co-owners Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.