The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) and the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) concluded a three-day webinar series yesterday that brought together offshore energy leaders and elected officials to discuss the outlook for U.S. offshore wind.
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and Avangrid Renewables sponsored the event.
Highlighting the broad, bipartisan support for U.S. offshore wind, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Representative Garret Graves (R-LA), and Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) delivered keynote remarks. During panel sessions, executives from wind developers, domestic marine transport, construction, service and supply companies discussed key issues impacting U.S. offshore wind, including lessons learned, challenges facing expanded business portfolios and how
Gulf Coast companies are preparing for Northeast offshore wind hubs.
Participating in the webinar were executives from 2nd Wind Marine, Siemens Gamesa, Ørsted, Aker Solutions, Avangrid Renewables, Dominion Energy, American Bureau of Shipping, Vineyard Wind, Aries Marine, Metal Shark, and EnBW North America.
NOIA President Erik Milito said, “American offshore wind provides a generational economic and energy opportunity for our country. As the diverse group of companies on the panels attested, the future of American offshore wind is not just about a few wind producers, but is also about the hundreds if not thousands of companies throughout the country that will be needed to build a new industry. Building up offshore wind will need a collaborative environment which companies of all sizes and backgrounds are already embracing.”
OMSA President Aaron Smith said, “I’m really proud of the work the OMSA and NOIA teams did in putting this week’s program together. Their work provided participants with amazing access to a myriad of experts from the shipyard, to the vessel owners, to turbine manufacturers, and even developers. This week was a great chance for industry partners to meet, network, discuss, and strategize on how we can all move this industry from the potential column to the producing column.”
“The scope in terms of potential when it comes to the offshore wind industry is massive in scale,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Lars T. Pedersen. “One way to ensure that we achieve full potential is for companies like Vineyard Wind and organizations like OMSA and NOIA and others to work together and make this into a true U.S. industry. We thank the sponsors for a great virtual event and look forward to continuing the discussion as we move forward.”
“There is great value in bringing together the U.S. energy sector, supply chain and policymakers as we begin the transformational buildout of offshore wind in the U.S., and we are grateful to NOIA and OMSA for organizing this program,” said Francis Slingsby, Head of Markets & Commercial for Ørsted North America, Offshore. “We are committed to advancing the U.S. supply chain and are excited about the long-term opportunities for new builds and use of the existing fleet, which will be an impressive addition to the supply chain, mariner opportunities and shipyard capabilities.”
“Clean energy jobs in construction and operations can serve as a catalyst to re-ignite the economy following the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and to continue reducing carbon emissions,” said Josh Bennett, Dominion Energy Vice President of Offshore Wind. “We look forward to continue working with our educational and trade organization partners to develop a talented maritime and offshore wind workforce to build, maintain and support wind turbines here in Virginia and along the East Coast.”
“This event brought together the right stakeholders for these important discussions on the energy transition in the U.S. and around the world,” said Aker Solutions Country Manager Jonah Margulis. “Compared to oil and gas, the offshore wind industry is in its infancy, so forums like this are critical to share ideas and move the industry forward together.”
“Offshore wind farm construction is a rapidly growing global industry, particularly in the US. It’s not a question of how much growth, but how fast that growth is going to happen, and the types of specialized vessels needed to support increased wind turbine size and complexity,” said Matt Tremblay, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Offshore. “ABS is providing asset classification and guidance on Jones Act specialist wind farm vessels, offering its global experience in offshore energy and renewables projects to the growing U.S. market.”
