Cape Wind, the developer of a controversial offshore wind farm planned for Nantucket Sound, said it has inked an agreement for Siemens to supply 130 turbines.
In turn, Siemens said it will open a U.S. Offshore Wind office in Boston in June.
The 130 turbines Siemens will manufacture will nearly double the number of Siemens 3.6 megawatt offshore turbines currently in use.
In a statement, Randy Zwirn, president and CEO of Siemens Energy Inc., said that while the United States’ land-based wind energy market is well-established, offshore wind resources “offer a vast, untapped source of renewable energy potential.”
He said final approval of the Cape Wind project, which has survived several attempts to block it, “will be the key to the success of the offshore wind industry in the U.S.”
Cape Wind completed state and local permitting in 2008 and is awaiting a final permitting decision from the U.S. Department of Interior. That decision is expected by the end of April.
