Ventolines Expands in U.S. on Mayflower Wind Project
Dutch firm opens first U.S. office in Boston to help scale up renewable energy here
Known for clean energy projects in Europe and for supervising installation of America’s first offshore wind turbines, Dutch renewable energy forerunner Ventolines has signed on as offshore wind expertise partner for the Mayflower Wind project off Massachusetts and opened its first permanent U.S. office in Boston.
“We are proud to be part of the team bringing more wind farms and sustainable energy to the U.S.,” said Thibaut de Groen, Ventolines’ Director of Contracting and Construction.
Mayflower Wind, a joint venture of Shell New Energies and Ocean Winds (the global offshore wind collaboration between EDP Renewables and ENGIE), will generate enough clean electricity to power more than half a million Massachusetts homes. The project is utilizing a Federal lease area about 30 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and 23 miles south of Nantucket. Mayflower has power purchase agreements in place with Massachusetts utilities for 804 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity.
For Mayflower, Ventolines will provide T&I (transport and installation) expertise on the substation, foundations, array cables, and wind turbines.
“This project signals the advent of large-scale offshore wind energy in America, and we are pleased to be able to add our expertise on projects of this scale,” said Lorry Wagner, who is representing Ventolines in the U.S.
Ventolines supervised the installation of turbines and advised on asset management for the first offshore wind farm in the United States, off Rhode Island. It supplied technical due diligence for the turbine selection, and technical support for negotiating the turbine supply contract, on offshore wind projects planned for Maryland and New York, as well.
“Our formal entry into the U.S. market is the next logical step in our company’s evolution,” said De Groen.
From their new office in Boston, Ventolines will explore new opportunities in the U.S. energy market and those are seemingly plentiful. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Management has awarded 16 leases for offshore wind farms from Massachusetts to North Carolina. According to the Business Network for Offshore Wind, the East Coast states have committed to developing 29 gigawatts of offshore wind power. Furthermore, the West Coast is considering its own plans.
About Ventolines
Headquartered in Almere, near Amsterdam, with a staff of nearly 100 experts, Ventolines has become a significant player in renewable energy in Europe, specifically in the Netherlands, by providing services to all phases of wind, solar and storage projects: development, contracting, legal matters, system integration, construction, and asset management. It offers advice on Power Purchase Agreements, the electricity market, and stakeholder management, as well as financial and legal advice and technical due diligence in investment, divestment and financing transactions.
Ventolines guides clients in decisions and manages projects based on many years of expertise, built in lead roles on clean energy projects large and small. “We have a skilled team with the knowledge and experience to guarantee a reliable, high-quality result,” De Groen said. “And we’re inventive. We always come up with a suitable solution that works for everyone to successfully complete projects. We are persistent and never give up. And we aim to be the best.”
Ventolines was founded in 2007 by siblings Anne and Jelma de Groot, building on their previous experience in wind projects. Among other projects, the company is now involved in major onshore wind projects in the Netherlands adding more than 1,500 MW of installed power. This includes the country’s largest onshore wind farm Windplan Groen (500 MW). Ventolines also boasts a lead role on all aspects (from early development through to asset management) of the realization of the world’s largest offshore wind farm to be built in a lake, Windpark Fryslân (383 MW), with 89 turbines under construction. In addition, Ventolines is involved in the development of several solar parks, accounting for more than 350 MW, cable pooling solutions and multiple storage projects.
