DEME starts construction of first major US offshore wind farm

A DEME vessel has placed the first foundation of Vineyard Wind 1, the United States' first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, it was announced on Wednesday. DEME Offshore US, a US subsidiary of Belgian marine construction company DEME, will install the foundations, the turbines themselves and the offshore substation.

"After many years of preparation, the installation work for the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the US has officially started. We are extremely excited to usher in a new era in the US offshore wind market," said Jan Klaassen, DEME Offshore US managing director, in a press release.

While Vineyard Wind 1 is the first offshore wind farm DEME is building in the US, it has already won other contracts for US wind farm projects. The company is based in Zwijndrecht, Antwerp.

Vineyard Wind 1 will be located 25 km off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, an island in the northeastern state of Massachusetts. The farm will have 62 turbines, generating 800 megawatts.

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