As part of the Biden administration’s Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is set to take the lead in the development of a comprehensive offshore wind supply chain roadmap.
The first of its kind forum between 11 East Coast Governors and federal government staffers is also pegged to grow a skilled U.S. workforce and accelerate work to address important regional matters by advancing the industry’s rapid development and providing more affordable clean energy across the country by accelerating the president’s target of 30GW of offshore wind capacity over the next decade and 100% clean electricity by 2035.
“Working together – states and the federal government – we can blow the lid off our growing domestic offshore wind industry and get us to our clean energy future faster,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said in a press release. “The new Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership will help build a strong domestic supply chain for offshore wind, and a foundation for delivering an abundance of clean energy along with more good-paying jobs.”
Government officials insist that hitting all of their targets will result in an expected $12 billion in annual investment in offshore wind projects, a development expected to lead to the construction of as many as 10 manufacturing plants for offshore wind turbine components and new ships to install the turbines. The nation’s offshore wind goal could also pave the way for almost 80,000 jobs in the industry and surrounding local communities, power more than 10 million homes and cut 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
"Create 80,000 jobs. Power 10M homes. Cut 78M metric tons of CO2 emissions,” the official account of the U.S. Department of Energy recently tweeted. “This is what reaching 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 will do for Americans. That's why @POTUS is partnering with states to build out this supply chain for our country.”
The Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership highlights ongoing DOE efforts and commitment to provide a roadmap that identifies key pathways for meeting state and federal offshore wind goals. In partnership with states across the country, the plan also calls for growing U.S. offshore wind energy, anticipating needs and solidifying and expanding key offshore wind supply chain elements, among them domestic manufacturing, logistics, transmission, and workforce development.
