Page 23: of Marine News Magazine (April 2022)

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Offshore Wind f awards were given for dominating the sustainable en- obviously, an incredible scale up.

ergy spotlight, offshore wind (OSW) would surely be As it starts, South Fork construction will create more

I in line for top honors. than 100 jobs for Long Island skilled trades workers, in- cluding equipment operators, electricians, line workers,

Consider: and delivery drivers, according to a press release.

• Big money: BOEM’s February sale of New York Bight But that’s just the beginning. New York is developing offshore wind development rights drew a record $4.37 bil- ? ve offshore wind projects, expected to deliver a combined lion in developers’ bids. Not only is that real money, but just economic impact of $12.1 billion to the state. These proj- as critically, “This week’s offshore wind sale makes one thing ects, according to state of? cials, could create more than clear: The enthusiasm for the clean energy economy is un- 6,800 jobs in project development, component manufac- deniable and it’s here to stay,” exclaimed Interior Secretary turing, installation, and operations and maintenance “and

Deb Haaland. spur approximately 10,000 jobs.” • Off Broadway: In January, BOEM approved the con- For businesses, this recent, tangible progress is tantaliz- struction and operations plan (COP) for South Fork wind, ing, but it raises questions: When is the big supply chain twelve wind turbines planned for federal waters on the Outer shift from metaphor to real money? How close is the ramp-

Continental Shelf (OCS), approximately 35 miles east of up to the big show?

Montauk Point, Long Island. Construction started in Febru- There’s no single answer. While OSW is presented as ary. South Fork is expected to be operational in late 2023. a singular energy resource, its implementation pulls in a • The Big One: Last November, a groundbreaking at myriad of complex topics, from high-tech engineering to

Covell’s Beach in Barnstable, Mass., marked the start of the the Jones Act to protected marine mammals to commer- huge 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project, 15 miles from cial navigation to interconnection and performance on the

Martha’s Vineyard. Covell’s Beach is landfall for two cables, Nation’s electrical grid. Still, there are indicators of sup- connecting to a substation further inland on Cape Cod. ply chain progress, examples of hard work underway to • In the pipeline: A bigger picture – consider this assess- facilitate and establish the corollary framework necessary ment by Philip Lewis, Director of Research at Intelatus Global to build, in essence, a whole new industry. Here’s a look at

Partners, writing for MarineLink in January: some of this early work.

“At the beginning of 2022 the (OSW) situation is more positive. Twelve OCS projects are under ? nal federal per- MASSACHUSETTS mitting review, 17.5 GW of project capacity has secured Business and wind energy interests in New Bedford, in offtake commitments, 16.5 GW of new federal offshore late 2021, established a group to build out and strengthen leasing activity in the northeast, South Atlantic and Cali- the local and regional maritime business network. This fornia is underway, turbine component, foundation, and new group is the New Bedford Ocean Cluster (NBOC). cable factories are being built in the U.S., awards for at Its mission is to establish regional leadership in four core least six Jones Act compliant wind farm support vessels areas: offshore wind, aquaculture, commercial ? shing and were announced in the last quarter of 2021 and offshore processing, and innovation and technology.

wind port development is accelerating.” Luckily, any company interested in moving into the

It’s well known, of course, that OSW is promoted not OSW sector can take advantage of a recent NBOC infor- just for energy and environmental reasons. Employment mation session. Go to the NBOC website and click on and economic development are critical drivers. the link for the “Offshore Wind Community Outreach

U.S. plans for OSW are gargantuan. Currently the U.S. Forum” held February 17. It’s a valuable hour and 15 is at the bottom of OSW production, for generation and minutes, providing a thoughtful foundation and a clear the manufacture of equipment and infrastructure. In four framework of OSW issues, from contracts, supplier tiers, years, plans are for the U.S. to be equal to or ahead of Eng- timelines and where an individual company might best land and Germany, the current leading OSW countries; ? t into the wind supply chain (see illustrations, courtesy www.marinelink.com MN 23|