Deepwater Wind Opens Downtown New Bedford Office

NEW BEDFORD - Offshore wind company Deepwater Wind officially opened their Massachusetts office downtown Friday afternoon.

The office is at on the top floor of the historic Standard-Times building at 555 Pleasant St. with a view overlooking both City Hall and New Bedford Harbor, two major partners in the future of the Southcoast offshore industry.

The city was chosen for the state's headquarters due to its proximity to future offshore project sites, the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, its nationally recognized working waterfront and commercial fishing industry.

"This industry will be centered around the Southcoast," said CEO Jeff Grybowski. "This industry will be centered around the activity that happens here and ports like New Bedford and we look to be close to important constituents like the fishing industry."

Mayor Jon Mitchell applauded Deepwater Wind for choosing to place its office downtown as it sets the tone for the city as more than just a staging location.

"We certainly want folks out on the water putting parts together, putting components together for deployment, we want manufacturing for sure and we want all the supporting ancillary industry but we also want the front office as well," said Mitchell.

Grybowski added that future projects will bring plenty of economic stimulation to the waterfront and throughout the city.

"This port facility is among the best on the east coast for the kind of work that we're talking about and for sure, if this industry is going to develop the way that we believe it will, the facility in New Bedford will be filled up constantly," said Grybowski.

Deepwater Wind was the developer behind the first US offshore wind farm off the coast of Block Island, and is currently in the process of a second project off Long Island, NY with bidding for a Massachusetts project coming up this spring.