SALEM — They’re gonna need a bigger bank account.
Federal and local officials lauded the news Friday that another $34 million was coming to Salem for the offshore wind marshalling effort targeting vacant land around the Salem Harbor power plant.
U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, all hailed the news as positioning Salem “to be a national leader in offshore wind as it builds a new facility that will sport a 700-foot-long wharf and bulkhead for the assembly and transportation of offshore wind components,” they said in a joint statement Friday. Efforts seek to start marshalling yard construction in 2023 so it can begin cranking out turbines in 2025.
“This $34 million federal grant will help transform Salem Harbor into a key port for offshore wind,” Warren said, “which will create clean energy and green jobs for thousands of people in the commonwealth.”
To end 2021, the city celebrated receiving $2.4 million out of a $241 million federal infusion targeting 25 port-improvement projects.
By May, that was funding was joined by $45 million from the state, nearly half of a $100 million commitment to offshore wind projects in Salem, New Bedford and Somerset. Friday’s announcement adds another $34 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Port Infrastructure Development program, which the three lawmakers all made their case to back in May.
“This project will not only help to diversify and decarbonize our electrical grid, which we need now more than ever — it will also bring jobs to Salem,” said Moulton.
“It is a great example of transforming old infrastructure into new to meet the needs of the moment.”
Mayor Kim Driscoll said the Footprint site “ has provided the electricity that has powered our community and our commonwealth for generations.”
“Today, with this announcement, that legacy takes another step toward its continuation, with new focus on a clean energy future based on renewable power and a shared commitment to positive action to mitigate climate change,” Driscoll said.
“The transformational project that this major grant award will make possible will provide a significant expansion to our commercial tax base and create hundreds of clean energy jobs, right here in Salem.”
Contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.