The Business Network for Offshore Wind applauds the Biden-Harris administration on the important step it took yesterday to advance floating offshore wind turbine development. Floating turbine technology is still in the early development stage globally but will be required to deploy offshore wind in deeper waters off the U.S. west coast, east coast, and the Gulf of Maine.
The administration announced a series of steps to build support and advance offshore wind technology and set a goal to deploy 15 GW goal by 2035. It also announced an Energy Earthshot effort to drive down floating offshore wind costs by 70%, which includes allocating important research funding to technology development and supporting infrastructure. Today’s announcement follows the Department of Energy’s launch of the Floating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize, of which the Business Network is a supporting partner.
Liz Burdock, president and CEO, Business Network for Offshore Wind:
The Biden-Harris administration took another critical step towards building a floating offshore wind industry by setting a national deployment goal and announcing an Energy Earthshot to drive down construction costs. Coupled with investments to further analyze transmission and port challenges, and commitments from four federal agencies to work together on these challenges, the Network is confident our nation can become the global leader in floating offshore wind.
Just as the administration’s 30-GW-by-2030 goal helped unleash billions in new investments, this new national floating offshore wind target provides long-term regulatory certainty that will drive investments toward American manufacturers, ports, and shipbuilders.
In concert with state-level actions in California to set a long-term state target, prior administration efforts to open up new leasing in deeper waters, and Congressional actions to support floating turbine manufacturers, the U.S. now has a comprehensive plan to develop a national offshore wind floating industry.
The future of offshore wind lies in deeper waters requiring floating technology, and this comprehensive plan sets the U.S. on a path to become a global leader in this cutting edge industry and a major exporter of expertise and supplies.
