Opportunities Abound In The U.S. Offshore Wind Market
Offshore wind projects have taken root in America. The country’s first operating offshore wind farm, in Block Island, Rhode Island, began contributing energy to the power grid in December 2016. Now, more than 23 offshore wind projects — collectively expected to produce 16,000 MW of power — reportedly are being planned. Thus, opportunities abound for developers, contractors, and investors in the U.S. offshore wind market.
The recent spike in offshore wind activity has been fueled largely by a surge of political interest. Some critics have decried President Trump’s apparent lack of commitment to renewable energy, but the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has proved to be a willing partner in offshore wind energy development. In March 2017, DOI leased 122,000 acres off the coast of northern California to Avangrid, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, a Spanish company. Recently, DOI also finalized a lease with a Norwegian company, Statoil, for Long Island, New York waters. DOI evidently sees a future for U.S. offshore wind. According to a spokesperson, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management currently is receiving annual rent payments of over $4 million for offshore wind project leases.
State activities also have primed the pump for offshore wind development. In August 2016, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a law requiring utilities to procure 1,600 MW of electricity from offshore wind facilities by 2026. In May 2017, the Commonwealth’s Department of Energy Resources issued a request for proposals to develop up to 800 MW of offshore wind. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state would commit to installing 2,400 MW of offshore wind by 2030, furthering his goal that renewable energy resources would supply 50% of New York’s power. To that end, in January 2017, Governor Cuomo approved Deepwater Wind’s 90 MW, 15 turbine South Fork Wind Farm project, which is expected to power 50,000 Long Island homes.
Moreover, the Maryland Public Service Commission recently awarded two developers, U.S. Wind and Skipjack Offshore Energy, contracts to build offshore wind farms totaling 368 MW. The projects are expected to create 9,700 new direct and indirect jobs.
