May 2, 2019 was a historic day for job creation and economic growth across southeastern Connecticut. 

The Connecticut Port Authority, Gateway Terminal, Eversource and Ørsted announced a partnership to revitalize State Pier and establish New London as a major northeast center for the growing offshore wind industry. 

This new public-private partnership means job creation for New London, economic growth for the region, and clean energy for the state. It is a goal we have been working towards for quite some time. 

State Pier has been underutilized for too long. New London is well-positioned to be a major force in the region’s maritime economy, and the new Harbor Development Plan announced last week will upgrade State Pier’s infrastructure to reach its full potential. 

The positive impact of this new plan will be felt for years to come. In the short-term, new jobs will be created during the initial development project, including $93 million invested in infrastructure improvements. This effort will rely heavily on our skilled local workforce to transform State Pier into a world-class port facility. 

Upon completion of the development project, the upgraded State Pier will be home to the assembly and staging of the wind turbine generators that will power clean and cost-effective offshore wind farms up and down the East Coast. 

In the long-term, State Pier will continue seeing increased activity as the upgraded facility expands its capacity to accommodate both increased volumes and types of cargo. Currently, heavy lift and project cargo cannot take advantage of State Pier, but with the envisioned infrastructure improvements, this cargo will finally be able to move through New London, generating economic benefit across the region for years to come. 

As clean energy becomes increasingly important to the Northeast, the need for continued wind energy production is expected to grow, and the reliance on State Pier as a staging area will become even more critical. With the ramp-up of offshore wind, the increase in construction activities at State Pier will benefit the entire state. 

Southeastern Connecticut is home to a highly skilled manufacturing workforce whose expertise is an asset for this emerging maritime industry. We anticipate further growth in this important industry as the manufacturing supply chain expands across the region to accommodate increased offshore wind component production. 

The new agreement puts State Pier, New London, and all of southeastern Connecticut on a trajectory towards economic growth and long-term job creation. We are grateful for the efforts of Governor Ned Lamont, Mayor Michael Passero, state Sen. Paul Formica, and state Rep. Anthony Nolan. Together, we are committed to this vision for State Pier, and we look forward to working with our partners and the people of the region to nurture this new industry, create good jobs and foster a greener, cleaner future for everyone. 

Scott Bates, chairman, CT Port Authority/ Matthew Satnick, co-CEO and chairman of Enstructure, Gateway’s financial partner /Lee Olivier, executive vice president for enterprise energy strategy and business development, Eversource/Thomas Brostrøm, Ørsted president of North America and Ørsted U.S. offshore wind CEO