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A new deal for Port of Argentia

Clean energy development could bring work worth $65 million

BARB DEAN-SIMMONS SALTWIRE barb.dean-simmons @saltwire.com @Barbdeansimmons

The Port of Argentia just announced it has signed a significant deal to support the development of clean energy projects in the Northeastern United States.

In a press release late Tuesday evening, Aug. 9, Port CEO Scott Penney said the contract will generate $65 million in work associated with contracts for land preparation, stevedoring, heavy ground transport, security and other services.

The press release did not reveal the names of companies involved in the deal. The port is not at liberty to provide that information, said Ray Greene, manager of business development for hte port.

In an interview with Saltwire, however, Penney said the deal is connected to the development of offshore wind in the United States, and the contract is with a German company that will transport huge components from Europe to America.

The port will be a holding area for onopeds — the huge legs that hold up wind turbines.

Argentia has lots of space to store those components with over 30 hectares of open space, thanks to the abandoned runways that were built by the Americans during the second World War when they used Argentia as a military base.

From dockside, components will be transported to a bonded storage area on the former U.S. naval air station runways in the Argentia Northside Industrial Area by self propelled modular transporters (SPMTS).

To prepare for the arrival of those vessels the port will see more than $7 million CAD spent on infrastructure improvements including road widening, burying of utility lines inside the marine terminal, creation of 3-acres of new laydown lands adjacent to docking facilities, repositioning of smaller service buildings, and installation of fencing and security cameras.

“We’ve been chasing this opportunity for about a year,” said Penney, adding this deal is not not related to the option to lease agreement the port signed with Pattern Energy earlier this year.

While the clean energy contract will last for about a year, until 2024, Penney said the payoff will be longer term.

Penney says it will solidify the port as a “prime location” to support other industrial work, like a spool base for the propsed Bay Du Nord project, anticipated to move ahead in the next few years.

The port infrastructure improvements that will be made to support the clean energy contract, said Penney, will position Argentia to capture other oversized transport and storage projects in the renewable energy and other industrial sectors well into the future.

He predicts, “Argentia is going to be the epicentre of Newfoundland’s industrial economy for many years to come.”

BUSINESS

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2022-08-11T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-11T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://saltwire.pressreader.com/article/281814287640242

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