Mayor Visits Europe Hoping to Attract Wind Investment Here

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell was representing his city last week at the Offshore Wind Northeast Conference in Sunderland, United Kingdom.

Mitchell, the only American to speak at the conference, highlighted the competive advantages New Bedford has for European wind companies, seeking to establish a presence in the U. S.

The Mayor says those companies are ready to invest billions of dollars in the new industry in America, and he wants to make sure New Bedford gets a big chunk of those dollars.

"What we're trying to do is get out ahead of every other place on the East Coast so that we can get more investment to settle in here," says Mitchell.  "We're not going to get all of it, but if we hustle now, we'll stand a beter chance of capturing significant investment."

The Mayor says he knows the competition is stiff, so the Administration's goal is to out-compete everybody. According to Mitchell, there are at least a dozen ports along the East Coast seeking those investments.

Mitchell says his objective was to make sure the Port of New Bedford is top of mind whenever discussions by offshore wind companies take place about U.S. locations.

In a press release, the Mayor's Office said Mitchell had meetings with more than a dozen companies and development agencies to discuss what the city has to offer.