Denmark’s Bladt Industries has been awarded a contract to build and deliver the offshore substation for the 800MW Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts, the first utility-scale wind farm at sea in the US.

“We are honoured that the owners and partners behind Vineyard Wind have chosen Bladt Industries as supplier,” Bladt Industries chief executive Klaus Steen Mortensen said.

Vineyard Wind is owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Iberdrola unit Avangrid Renewables.

“This is a stepping stone for Bladt Industries into the US offshore wind market, which is a market with tremendous potential. We see this contract as a prerequisite for developing a future platform for collaboration in the US market.”

Bladt said it has prepared itself for years to move into the US offshore wind market, and will develop its offerings together with local fabricators and partners in the country.

Vineyard Wind’s 800MW offshore wind farm, sited some 14 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and 35 miles (56km) off the coast of the US mainland, is being built around 84 of MHI Vestas's 9.5MW V164 turbines on Navantia-supplied foundations linked to the onshore grid by an export cable being delivered by Prysmian.

Once operational in 2021, the project will provide renewable power to some 1 million homes.

The developer last had won support averaging $84.23 per megawatt hour over a 20-year-period in an auction by the US state of Massachusetts, or $64.97/MWh at a levelised net present value price in 2017 dollars.

The relatively low price for a near-virgin offshore wind market prompted several states along the US East Coast to also introduce or boost their own offshore wind ambitions, among the New York and New Jersey, and Massachusetts itself.

Bladt’s contract is a turnkey deal covering the engineering, procurement and construction of a 3,000 tonne offshore substation set atop a 1,500 tonne jacket foundation.

The substation design is already underway at Blatdt partner ISC Engineering and the electrical system at Semco Maritime.

“The offshore substation is the heart of the offshore wind farm allowing the wind farm to connect to the grid. Bladt Industries will utilise the local supply chain in terms of supplies, consultancy and implementation,” said Nils Overgaard, chief sales officer at Bladt Industries.

“Bladt is engaging local companies as partners or sub-suppliers and sees this as a vital part of our strategy and development for our presence in the US offshore wind market.”