A U.S. offshore wind trade industry association is reemphasizing the sector’s economic benefits ahead of the inauguration of a president who wants to shut it down.
Oceantic Network on Jan. 15 released “Offshore Energy at Work,” a new report that focuses on the thousands of jobs created and billions of dollars invested through more than 1,900 supplier contracts that span 40 states.
Oceantic places the total announced investment at more than $40 billion and notes much of it has its roots late in President Trump’s first term.
Since then, construction has begun on projects totaling nearly 5 GW of capacity, 21 shipyards have received $1.8 billion in vessel orders and $25 billion has been earmarked for creating and expanding a domestic supply chain and ecosystem.
The last number includes $277 million in workforce development, $383 million in research and development, the $1.8 billion for 50 new or retrofitted ships and boats, $5.2 billion for upgrades to 25 U.S. ports, $6.1 billion for supply chain or manufacturing and $11 billion for shared transmission infrastructure.
These investments range from places one would expect, such as an Edison Chouest shipyard on the Louisiana coast, to such unlikely places as the Ljungstrom steel fabrication plant in western New York, hundreds of miles from the ocean.
Building a domestic offshore wind industry has been a priority for President Biden for its expected economic and environmental benefits.
President-elect Trump, by contrast, has long held an abiding dislike for the giant wind turbines, and he ratcheted up his rhetoric on the campaign trail. As recently as Jan. 7, he told reporters he would seek to halt construction of “windmills” that he said harm whales and cannot operate without a subsidy.
However, another Trump priority is boosting the U.S. economy.
Just as the rest of the U.S. renewable energy sector has been doing since Nov. 5, the Oceantic report plays up the economic benefits, juxtaposing dollar figures in the millions and billions with anecdotes about individual Americans working in the field.
CEO Liz Burdock said in a news release: “The American offshore wind energy industry is creating thousands of jobs across a national supply chain, driving billions in supply chain investments and delivering reliable, homegrown energy to meet our country’s growing power needs while ensuring energy security for decades.”
She added: “This report tells a story of success, momentum, American ingenuity, and grit. Offshore wind energy is creating skilled jobs, revitalizing once-forgotten economies and offering new opportunities for personal growth and economic prosperity, proving that when offshore wind is working, so is America.”
