Winds of change: Proposal calls for wind turbines to be built at Bridgeport's Barnum Landing

Could wind power an economic turn-around for Bridgeport? One group thinks so.
Offshore wind farms are due to supply a big chunk of Connecticut's electricity by 2030. Lars Pederson, CEO of Vineyard Wind, wants to build and ship wind turbines from Bridgeport Harbor.
"We want to manufacture and assemble some of the components for the foundation for the offshore wind, and we want to transform property in and around Bridgeport that can facilitate the construction of these components," says Pederson.
On Friday, Pederson's company revealed details of their proposal, calling for turning Barnum Landing, across from the PSEG plant, into an 18-acre construction facility. A separate maintenance facility will operate for another 25 years.
"In total, it will be -- we call it 12,000 'job years,' if you count up all the years over the life of the project," says Pederson.
But the state still has to pick Vineyard Wind for the project first. Standing in the way are two competing bids that would bypass Bridgeport altogether, in favor of New London.
The turbines would only be built in Bridgeport, as the actual wind farm would be 80 miles off Cape Cod.
The state will make its choice by next month.