OWC to Guide US Developers Through Project Approval Hurdles

Offshore Wind Consultants (OWC) is launching an advisory service to help U.S. offshore wind developers navigate the project regulatory frameworks and permitting processes.

The regulatory and permitting advisory service is expected to assist developers through processes at the federal, state and local levels to ensure the efficient approach to project approval, the company said.

OWC’s team is expected to guide developers through critical planning and outreach to execute project-specific strategies that focus on key elements of successful permitting, including robust pre-planning and consultations.

“Simply explained, we will help developers understand how these processes may affect project schedules,” said Adrienne Fink, Head of OWC’s office in Boston. “On the other side, we will help improve regulators comfort level in making well-informed assessments and providing necessary approvals.”

According to Fink, having the support of an experienced U.S. regulatory team to guide the process and advocate for appropriate levels of review and mitigation will be important in the industry’s continued success as confidence and trust with regulators is built.

Building on the regulatory and permitting team in Taiwan, OWC’s objective is to offer expert regulatory advisory specializing in all emerging markets, Fink added.

“We are not lobbyists or people with a generic understanding of regulatory frameworks. We provide extensive engineering and technical experience from offshore wind farm developments, coupled with understanding the specific regulatory framework that developers need to adhere to,” said John MacAskill, Business Development Director at OWC.

“This facilitates a service that considers all technical project requirements and constraints when defining an appropriate project permitting scope and execution strategy.”