Brayton Point signs land sale contract with off-shore wind cable maker

SOMERSET — Brayton Point is finally getting the kind of attention its current owner has wanted since the former coal-fired power plant shut down in 2017.

And it’s all about the future of renewable, offshore wind power production.

Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito were among a host of elected and state agency officials who came to the 306-acre site Thursday for a press conference held inside a portable tent.

They announced a contractual agreement for the sale of 47 acres to Prysmian Group of Italy to manufacture submarine power cable for both the Commonwealth Wind and Park City Wind offshore wind projects.

'People said this was never gonna happen: Brayton Point to reap benefits of offshore wind

“This has been very much a team sport for the last seven years,” Baker said in describing the “fortitude, commitment and discipline” exemplified by local legislators, state officials and companies with expertise in long-term offshore wind projects.

More jobs and more electricity coming

The deal to build the cable manufacturing plant at Brayton Point, according to a Prysmian official who signed the sales agreement, represents an eventual investment by the company of up to $300 million.

It also will lead to the creation of as many as 250 high-paying jobs at the Somerset site, said signatory Hakan Ozmen, who is in charge of Prysmian Group’s EVP Projects.

The Commonwealth Wind project that will operate in the Atlantic Ocean 20 miles south of Nantucket won state approval last December for a power purchase agreement for just over 1,200 megawatts of electricity production.

Another offshore wind project, Mayflower Wind, was awarded 400 megawatts and had previously secured state approval for an 800-megawatt power purchase agreement.

Getting connected: Mayflower Wind plans connection point in Somerset at Brayton Point

Mayflower Wind already has a transmission rights agreement with Commercial Development Company — the St. Louis development company that bought the Somerset site in 2018 for just less than $9 million — to convert direct current to alternating current by means of a National Grid substation at Brayton Point.

The Brayton Point site is situated where the Taunton River meets Mount Hope Bay.

Both Park City Wind, which will provide power to the grid in Connecticut, and Commonwealth Wind, which will send its power to a site on Cape Cod, are owned by Connecticut-based Avangrid.

Avangrid and its Avangrid Renewables subsidiary, which are part of Spanish utility company Iberdrola, has said it will invest as much as $900 million in the Prysmian cable endeavor.

Avangrid is also a joint partner with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners in ownership of the Vineyard Wind off-shore project — which was approved in 2019 by the Massachusetts Department of Public Works for 800 megawatts, making it the first commercial scale wind project in the nation.

Ship in the works: Somerset's Gladding-Hearn has a deal to build a crew transport ship for Mayflower Wind

Praise for Pat Haddad

Veteran state Rep. Patricia “Pat” Haddad, whose 5th District includes her hometown of Somerset, was singled out for spearheading the effort to bring offshore wind energy production to the SouthCoast.

U.S Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who represents the 4th congressional district, called Haddad “a role model” and an exemplar of “a public servant who fights for your district.”

An emotional Haddad recalled how in 2014 — when it was clear that Somerset would lose millions of dollars in tax revenue once the coal-fired plant closed — she held a meeting in the town library to discuss the possibility of bringing offshore wind energy to the region.

“With three 3-ring binders and a piece of legislation I began my quest,” she said.

Among those to whom Haddad gave credit were state Rep. Tony Cabral; former House Speaker Robert DeLeo; state Sens. Marc Pacheco and Michael Rodrigues; local labor unions; and residents of the neighborhood adjacent to Brayton Point.

“It’s going to be great,” Haddad said. “I know some people probably thought I was a pushy broad, but in the end it’s all about working together.”

Democratic state Sen. Pacheco, whose First Plymouth and Bristol districts include Taunton, said the investment being made by Prysmian at Brayton Point and the burgeoning wind industry will have a major regional impact in terms of employment opportunities and residual economic benefits.

“You’re going to see just a tremendous spinoff,” Pacheco said, one that will enable various small businesses to become part of a larger supply chain.

When will the plant be open?

Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides, who also was a guest speaker, noted that the advances being made at Brayton Point represent a milestone in the quest for developing offshore, renewable energy production.

Avangrid CEO Dennis Arriola said the cable manufacturing facility at Brayton Point will likely be in operation no later than early 2026.

He said it can take up to 18 months for the permitting process and another one to two years to finalize contracts.

Prysmian for a number of years has manufactured cables for customers not involved in wind farm projects in two buildings in North Dighton.

Blowing in the wind: Mass. will double the amount of wind power in its pipeline

Local residents have objected to noise and dust — site could change

A number of local residents in recent years have complained about truck noise and dust from a scrap metal company that has been leasing land at Brayton Point.

A handful of them could be seen Thursday standing outside the property holding signs objecting to the scrap metal operation.

A large foreign tanker collecting the scrap metal and heading for Turkey was docked at the site on Thursday as the press conference was being held.

Fighting back: Somerset neighbors band together against increased activity at Brayton Point site

Steven Collins, executive vice president of Commercial Development Company’s Brayton Point LLC, in a statement said his company for the past four years has “worked to reposition and prepare Brayton Point Commerce Center for offshore wind and other port-related activities.”

Collins added, “We are pleased Prysmian Group will bring excellent jobs and investment to Somerset by building a high-tech cable factory.”

He said Prysmian’s commitment will help “establish Massachusetts as an offshore wind energy hub.”

“This is a milestone agreement for the region,” Collins said, “and we expect to announce additional tenants to join Prysmian at Brayton Point Commerce Center.”

Mayflower Wind has previously said it also plans to establish an operations and maintenance facility at Fall River’s Borden & Remington Corp. industrial site on the Taunton River.

It also said it has a preliminary agreement with Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset to build a crew-transfer vessel.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Somerset's Brayton Point site to host offshore wind cable plant