US Offshore Wind Supply Chain Spans 40 States, Report Says

January 20, 2025, by Adrijana Buljan

According to a report released earlier this month, the US offshore wind supply chain spans 40 states as of December 2024, with 1,932 supplier contracts signed for offshore wind and offshore wind-related projects.

The report, Offshore Energy at Work, issued by the US offshore renewable energy industry organisation, Oceantic Network on 15 January, shows that the offshore wind supply chain in the US is not concentrated exclusively in and around the coastal states off whose coasts wind turbines are installed or planned to be installed, but also reaches the country’s landlocked states such as Kentucky and Tennessee.

The US saw more than USD 40 billion (approximately EUR 38.8 billion) in industry investments, much of it stemming from the late 2010s as businesses pivoted to offshore wind development, according to the report. This includes USD 25 billion (approx. EUR 24.2 billion) in new supply chain investments, USD 4 billion (approx. EUR 3.9 billion) in steel production, and USD 1.8 billion (approx. EUR 1.7 billion) in direct investment in new shipbuilding.

These investments supported the growth of the US steel industry including steel mill expansions in Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas, and new facilities in Virginia and Maryland.

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R&D

In shipbuilding, Oceantic Network counts 21 shipyards in twelve US states and over 50 vessels for offshore wind ordered to date, including crew transfer vessels (CTVs), service operation vessels (SOVs), feeder barges, and the first US-built wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) and rock installation vessel.

“With each project, a long network of suppliers is tapped to provide steel, aluminum, engines, and other smaller components, extending the industry’s overall economic impact to states such as Iowa, West Virginia, Alabama, Indiana, Georgia, and more”, the Offshore Energy at Work report reads.

Furthermore, USD 5.2 billion (approx. EUR 5 billion) has been invested in US offshore wind port infrastructure with 25 ports involved in offshore wind or preparing to support the industry.

These include US offshore wind ports such as the New London State Pier in Connecticut and new terminals in Massachusetts: the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal (NBMCT), Salem Offshore Wind Terminal, and New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal.

“For some ports, offshore wind development has provided a new lease on life. Virginia’s Portsmouth Marine Terminal faced closure amid declining container volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the port is bustling, receiving ships and components for Dominion Energy’s 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project. Its impact on Virginia has been significant—nearly $1.8 billion in direct investments and over 220 major supply chain contracts since 2020. Next, Dominion’s investments will extend across the Elizabeth River to Fairwinds Landing where the company plans to convert part of the dockyard into an O&M hub for the next 50 years”, Oceantic says in the new report.

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Fixed-Bottom

According to the report, there is nearly 5 GW of offshore wind capacity under installation or operation in the US today, with 8 GW more approved for construction.

Referring to the tens of billions of US dollars in supply chain investments in the report’s foreword, Oceantic Network’s CEO, Liz Burdock, said: “A tremendous opportunity lies ahead to continue this momentum. With a sustained policy framework and significant private sector investment, offshore energy is poised to meet America’s need for reliable, homegrown energy to power our homes, cars, and even support the AI evolution.”