ABS Group Approved as First US-based CVA for Offshore Wind Farms

ABS Group leads the US into safe offshore wind farm operations.

(Houston)ABS Group, premier provider of technical solutions to support safe and reliable operations for high-performance assets in the offshore and marine industries, is pleased to announce that it has been selected as the Certified Verification Agent (CVA) for the Block Island Wind Farm Project off of Rhode Island, which is anticipated to be one of the first operational wind farms in the U.S.

The CVA's role is as an independent agent to verify that the facility is being designed, fabricated, installed, constructed, and then operated in accordance with design standards and with current regulatory requirements. With this role at Block Island, ABS Group further strengthens its leading role in verifying the safety and integrity of installations around the world during this era of energy industry transformation.

The deepwater Block Island Wind Farm is a 5 turbine, 30 megawatt (MW) facility located approximately three miles southeast of Block Island. The wind farm will generate more than 125,000 MW hours annually, which developers report is enough to power more than 17,000 homes. Power will be exported to the mainland electric grid via the 21-mile, bi-directional Block Island Transmission System, a proposed submarine cable that will make landfall in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

The U.S. offshore wind industry is transitioning from the development phase to the commercial viability stage. Today, there are 14 U.S. projects for which a lease has been awarded, baseline or geophysical studies have been conducted, or a power purchase agreement has been obtained. According to the "Third Annual Offshore Wind Market and Economic Analysis" published by Navigant Consulting Inc., there could be more than 3,000 MW of cumulative offshore wind energy capacity in the U.S. by 2020.

About ABS Group

ABS Group of Companies, Inc. (www.abs-group.com), through its operating subsidiaries, provides technical advisory and certification services to support the safety and reliability of high-performance assets and operations in the oil, gas and chemical, power generation, marine, offshore and government sectors, among others. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, ABS Group operates with more than 1,000 professionals globally. ABS Group is a subsidiary of ABS (www.eagle.org), a leading marine and offshore classification society.