Oceantic Network’s Post

With deep-water ports, a skilled maritime workforce, robust research institutions, and a procurement goal of 3 GW of offshore wind energy by 2040, the State of Maine is uniquely positioned to be a global leader in floating offshore wind. And it’s ready to take the next steps to make that vision a reality. That was the message from Maine Governor Janet Mills, who spoke to IPF attendees Wednesday about the state’s plans for its renewable future. “This conference is putting things in perspective for me,” Gov. Mills said. “It’s very exciting to me to see the people, investors, developers, and scientists all talking about offshore wind. We’ve been through economic ups and downs, Covid, and a lot of things that got in our way [to building offshore wind]. So, I see myself now being a lot more confident about where we can go and how soon we can get there.” In her opening remarks at FloatON — the first-ever summit at IPF focused entirely on offshore wind — Gov. Mills spotlighted the work the state has done to set itself up to be a leader in this emerging sector, including establishing productive relationships with global partners. Gov. Mills spoke about the benefits of such partnerships in an IPF panel discussion with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein, Norway’s Ambassador to the U.S. Anniken Krutnes, and British Consul General Richard Hyde. The panelists represent some of the key players in the offshore wind industry, including Norway — a leader in innovation and home to the world’s largest floating wind farm — and the UK, which has the second-largest offshore wind market in the world. All have valuable insights that can help the U.S. realize its potential to become the largest floating economy in the world, panel moderator Tony Appleton said. “Maine has a lot in common with Norway,” said Ambassador Krutnes. “Through work, diplomatic, government and business work we can learn from each other because we understand each other’s needs.”

From all of us at Oceantic Network, thank you to every attendee at 2024 IPF! We couldn't have such a successful week without your enthusiasm and dedication to the advancement of offshore wind. Safe travels home and see you next year!

What a week! 2024 IPF flew by and we already found ourselves at the Closing Reception! As we gathered with old and new connections to enjoy food and drinks, we celebrated the close of a successful IPF week (and look forward to next year at 2025 IPF 😉) Here's to a fantastic week in NOLA! 🥂 #IPF2024 #IPFCONF

We had a blast at the annual Next Wave Networking Reception connecting with offshore wind industry peers! Music, games, and drinks made it even more fun. We shared info on upcoming career-building events - plus, one lucky winner snagged a pass to 2025 IPF! 🌟

Four companies came together at IPF Thursday to talk about how they worked together to design and activate the first commercial-scale feeder barge solution for the installation of 62 turbines at Vineyard Wind 1. The companies, Barge Master, DEME Offshore NL, Foss Offshore Wind, and Seaqualize, created the concept from scratch, each incorporating their own expertise to arrive at a solution. It took years of planning, simulation testing, and coordination before they were ready to begin installation through the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, panelists said. It wasn’t easy, but ultimately, the solution has served as proof that feedering is working, said Jan Klaassen of DEME Offshore, who spoke on the panel moderated by Charlie Papavizas, Partner at Winston & Strawn LLP. Other panelists included Elvira Jansen, Courtney Bradbury, PE, and Gjalt Lindeboom. “There is a future for feedering,” Klaassen added. He and other panelists forecasted that the next advancements in feedering could be in the realms of IT, software, training simulations, and AI, as well as the organization of such a project and whether identifying one party to serve in a leadership role might make for an easier process.

KidWind Project, Inc. brought fifty local high school students to IPF to compete in a turbine-building contest and meet with companies. This event provided students with an exciting pathway into offshore wind! Learn more about KidWind at IPF here: https://bit.ly/3Q8AVTn Special thanks to our sponsors: Ørsted, OW Ocean Winds, Entergy, RWE

What an inspiring gathering at Workforce Summit during IPF! Great minds came together to address offshore wind industry workforce needs. Lots of best practices were shared between training organizations, higher education, and unions. It was also a great opportunity to talk about lessons learned. Sponsored by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and Co-hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the event brought together development leaders, industry experts, government officials, labor unions, and professionals in the industry to grow the #offshorewind and #oceanrenewables workforce. https://bit.ly/3JrpvpX In the morning, attendees had an opportunity to learn about workforce development initiatives such as apprenticeships and educational programs being adopted to meet the demand for many jobs that will be created as more offshore wind projects reach construction in the U.S. In the afternoon, there were table dialogues to share information and put together ideas on where we go from here. We heard industry stories and challenges from David Turk, Deputy Secretary of Energy, and Laura (Ferguson) Hastings, the STEM and Wind Workforce Lead at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Leo John from Greater New Orleans, Inc. – GNO, Inc. gave a market update highlighting fact that 25% of all current supplier contracts for U.S. offshore wind projects include companies from Louisiana, and the existing workforce from oil and gas grants transferable skills for offshore wind. This was followed with an exploration of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) from Chief Education and Training Officer, Dr. Palermo. She highlighted the LCTCS structure and its ability to quickly adapt to prepare programs for new sectors, such as offshore wind. Other okey points from the day: - The Ørsted south fork wind farm, a project with 12 turbines, required hundreds of thousands of work hours offshore as well as hundreds of thousands of onshore work. - Many skills we need are highly transferable from existing sectors. - Speakers and attendees alike stressed the importance of collaboration. - The transfer of information and knowledge between workforce development and industry is imperative. - As we build an inclusive industry, we must meet K-12 where they are at, and it is important to engage both families and communities to raise awareness of offshore wind jobs. - Labor unions have available workforces and are designed to handle the seasonality of offshore wind construction as the union hall can send workers to other non-offshore wind projects in the down season. #IPF2024 #IPFConf