According to the terms of the contracts, the onshore transmission cables would be manufactured by Prysmian at its High Voltage manufacturing facility based in Abbeville, South Carolina, and installed by its New Jersey-based installation team in a series of duct banks between the point of landfall and the electric grid interconnection at the NSTAR Barnstable substation. The duct banks will constructed by Falmouth-based Lawrence-Lynch Corp. under an agreement Cape Wind previously announced.

Cape Wind's president, Jim Gordon, said this is the first U.S. offshore wind project to be fully permitted and to have been issued a commercial lease and received approval for its Construction and Operations Plan by the U.S. Department of Interior.

Caldwell Marine International will install the submarine intra-array and export cables using specialized vessels and equipment. For Caldwell Marine International, which has 30 years of experience in the installation of specialized underwater cable, offshore wind represents a new growth area for their company.

"These are capable companies that will help establish a domestic offshore wind supply chain," Cape Wind's Gordon said.

Rolando Acosta, president of Caldwell Marine International, welcomed the opportunity for his company to become part of the supply chain of this new domestic offshore wind industry. Likewise, Gerard Dhooge, president, Boston & New England Maritime Trades Council, AFL-CIO, called the announcement a "big step forward for Cape Wind."

Cape Wind has secured long-term power purchase agreements with National Grid and NSTAR, the two largest electric utilities in Massachusetts. Cape Wind is currently in its financing phase; significant investments have already been announced.