The US may have the potential for hundreds of gigawatts of offshore wind and so far leased 1.2 million acres of coastal waters for development — but how will this build-out take shape without an equipment supply chain, dedicated installation vessels and ports geared up for the sector?
Will projects be supplied from across the Atlantic, using European-built turbines and vessels — as the first US offshore wind farm, Block Island, was? Or can a local offshore wind industry spring up, creating thousands of manufacturing and service jobs?
According to more than one of the world’s leading offshore wind chiefs, a US offshore supply chain will happen — though only if there is long-term market visibility.
