To help the U.S. reach its offshore wind generation targets and address global supply chain challenges for the industry, Burns & McDonnell and Bay Ltd. are teaming up to provide U.S.-based engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction of offshore substations. The engineering will be led from Burns & McDonnell offices in the Northeast, and the fabrication and construction will take place in existing Bay Ltd. facilities in Corpus Christi, Texas. Burns & McDonnell has appointed Kent to provide structural and safety engineering.
Bringing U.S.-designed and -fabricated offshore substations to market will strengthen the U.S. offshore wind supply chain, which needs to grow to support making offshore wind a sustainable energy source. The federal government is targeting 30 GW of offshore wind generation capacity by 2030.
“Offshore wind is poised to become a major contributor to carbon reduction efforts globally,” says Ray Kowalik, President and CEO of Burns & McDonnell. “It’s critical to build up local offshore wind industry-specific capabilities for both engineering and manufacturing, which currently primarily exist in Europe, and we’re excited to support that knowledge transfer. Our proven relationship with Bay Ltd. enables us to provide 100% American solutions to the market and drive job creation in the U.S.”
Burns & McDonnell and Bay Ltd. have 10 years of successful design and fabrication partnerships from previous projects in various industries. The partnership represents an evolution of that relationship to apply that established understanding and deep experience to the offshore substation market.
Burns & McDonnell is ranked by Engineering News-Record as No. 1 in Power, No. 1 in Transmission and Distribution, No. 6 among Design-Build firms and No. 20 among Top Professional Services firms based on construction management and project/program management for fee.
Bay Ltd. is a leading multidiscipline construction and fabrication contractor with a proven history of successful project execution rooted in safety, quality and productivity. It has the history and the facilities with robust execution density available to build these large structures.
“Offshore substations require extensive, complex fabrication, but our team is poised to deliver” says Rob Powers, President and CEO of Bay Ltd. “The successful execution of these types of projects throughout our history, including substructures and topsides, renders our project teams confident and capable in executing large offshore fabrication scopes today. Together with Burns & McDonnell, we can expand the U.S. supply chain and help the nation as it advances toward its clean power goals.”
Kent, a leading offshore engineering consultancy, has designed over 20 offshore substations globally and will add its substantial practical experience through its Houston and Boston offices.
“Kent’s extensive portfolio of offshore substation design and our rich 45-year history in offshore structures aligns perfectly with the needs of the fast-growing U.S. offshore wind market,” says John Kent, Chief Energy Transition Officer at Kent. "Working with Burns & McDonnell, we have the perfect team to deliver innovative solutions to reduce risk and cost and optimize the design for fabrication in the U.S.”