Last week, Siemens Gamesa announced that it has agreed to build the first U.S. offshore wind blade factory at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) in Virginia.

Siemens Gamesa is the world’s largest supplier of offshore wind turbines and has installed 68% of capacity in Europe, the largest market. U.S. offshore wind activity is surging and leading global suppliers are starting to invest in East Coast facilities.

Wind and solar developers have faced inflationary pressure this year from rising steel costs and transport disruptions as economies rebound from Covid slowdowns.

The $200 million facility in Portsmouth will be built pending a final turbine order from Dominion Energy for its 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project. Dominion has selected Siemens Gamesa as turbine supplier for the project and expects to gain environmental approval in 2023. The utility has also placed the first order for a US-made wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV).

Siemens Gamesa has signed a long-term lease with the Virginia Port Authority to develop an 80 acre/32-hectare site at the terminal, supported by Virginia state incentives, the company said.

The factory will create 260 jobs and Siemens Gamesa will look to expand the facility if awarded future projects in the region, it said.

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