Washington is looking to launch an effort to become an industrial supplier to the offshore wind sector expected to develop off the West Coast.

No specific goals or deadlines have been set for the effort.

“We don’t know that yet,” said Joshua Berger, CEO of Washington Maritime Blue, a coordinating organization for many of the state’s maritime businesses and activities.

Berger, Gov. Jay Inslee and others announced the start of the effort Tuesday in Seattle. The next step is for state agencies, ports, manufacturers and business associations to meet to identify shortfalls and map out approaches and goals for the venture. The venture will also need to address gaps in knowledge about the industry, training needs and getting a handle on needed technologies, Berger said.

“The jobs created in this supply chain could be enormous. … This can create a supply chain that can go in many different places,” Inslee said.

“Training the additional workers must begin now,” said Ryan Calkins, a commissioner for the Port of Seattle.

“The potential jobs this industry can create is mind-boggling,” said Herald Ugles, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local No. 19.

All the ports along Washington’s coast would need to be involved, said Deanna Keller, a commissioner for the Port of Tacoma, which was represented at the event along with the ports of Seattle and Everett. The ports of Seattle and Tacoma have begun a joint study on the subject, Keller said.

“There’s a lot of research to be done,” Inslee said.

Nationwide, the offshore wind turbine manufacturing industry has the potential to become a $70 billion industry, Berger said.

So far, West Coast offshore wind efforts have focused on the waters off California and Oregon, with the first auctions for leases off the coast of Northern California fetching $757 million last year. (See First West Coast Offshore Wind Auction Fetches $757M.)

While there are no active projects targeting Washington’s shoreline areas, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has received two unsolicited proposals for projects off the state’s coast, Berger said.

In a related matter, the Department of Energy has selected an Oregon State University research team to receive $2.5 million to study what coastal communities think of potential offshore wind energy development. The money goes to the Pacific Marine Energy Center, a marine renewable energy group made up of universities led by Oregon State.

Researchers will interview and survey coastal residents to better understand the preferences, concerns and values of local communities where offshore wind development has been proposed, lead researcher Hilary Boudet, an Oregon State associate professor of sociology, said in a press release.