Prysmian Group, world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, has welcomed yesterday U.S. President Joe Biden on a visit to the site of its new submarine power cables plant in Brayton Point, Massachusetts. As part of its plan aimed at supporting the development of offshore wind power in the U.S., Prysmian Group is committed to transform the area, home to the former Somerset coal plant, into a high-tech hub for the energy transition process.
The presence and participation of the President of the United States is a strong testimony to how the Group's strategic vision and commitment to the sustainable energy transition is recognised not only in the marketplace, but especially from an institutional perspective. The Brayton Point site, in fact, will become a production hub for the country's offshore wind industry and will have the capacity to create highly skilled local jobs in an exciting and currently growing sector.
The Brayton Point factory will manufacture innovative submarine inter-array and export cables up to 275 kV AC or 525 kV DC, that are needed to connect offshore wind farms to mainland power grids. These cables will be used to deliver power from several new offshore wind farms, that are vital to President Biden’s goal of installing 30 GW in offshore wind power by 2030 to achieve the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources, to cope with global warming. The plant will also have an R&D facility with a high-voltage test lab, which will be the first of its kind in the United States.
In addition to being a fundamental asset for offshore wind production in the U.S., Prysmian’s investment will play a positive role in the community, developing Brayton Point into a strategic knowledge and production center supporting the sustainable development of this area, and creating new quality jobs and opportunities.
“We are very proud of welcoming President Biden; this visit highlights our role in supporting the energy transition in the U.S. market. We are committed to making all our resources and global expertise available to support the development of crucial cable connections for offshore wind energy use”,
comments Mr. Ozmen EVP Projects Business Prysmian Group, who welcomed President Biden together with Andrea Pirondini, CEO Prysmian Group North America.
Prysmian Group has a significant geographical footprint in North America, its “second home market,” with 28 factories, 8 distribution plants, and 6 R&D centers employing nearly 6,000 people. Prysmian’s U.S. track record includes the milestones submarine cable interconnection projects like Neptune, TransBay and Hudson Transmission, as well as the recently awarded SOO Green HVDC link. In addition to the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm cabling project already underway, Prysmian’s order book includes the €900 million Commonwealth Wind and Park City projects awarded by Vineyard Wind and the €630 million project to link the 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) wind farm to the mainland grid. Another project under execution is the Empire Wind inter-array cable.