Regional cooperation is vital as offshore wind industry begins multibillion-dollar build-out
For Immediate Release: October 29, 2020
Media Contact: Melinda Skea | [email protected] | 202-709-9793
Baltimore – The governors of Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia today announced the formation of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Regional Transformative Partnership for Offshore Wind Energy Resources (SMART-POWER) amongst the three states. The partnership is designed to advance offshore wind projects in the region and promote the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic area as a hub for offshore wind energy as well as its supply chain. Regional cooperation like this will be vital as offshore wind energy expands in the United States.
The SMART-POWER partnership builds off of the investment each state has made to-date in the region to utilize offshore wind as part of its renewable energy policies. The partnership creates a framework for Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia to develop and expand offshore wind energy in the region as well as grow the supply chain and workforce. From a supply chain perspective, coordination and alignment between multiple states regarding future offshore wind capacity procurements could trigger economies of scale, placing downward pressure on project prices and benefitting ratepayers in multiple states.
The following statement can be attributed to Liz Burdock, president & CEO of the Oceantic Network
“An alliance between Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia balances offshore wind economic development more evenly across the east coast. The market is now too dynamic and requires such large-scale collaboration that no one state should go it alone; regional cooperation is a must as the industry begins a multi-billion dollar build out over the next decade.”
For more information or to arrange an interview with a Network spokesperson, contact Melinda Skea at [email protected] or 202-709-9793.
Additional Information:
- Maryland Announcement
- North Carolina Announcement
- Virginia Announcement
The Oceantic Network is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a robust offshore wind supply chain in the U.S. It advances the industry forward through education, facilitating partnerships, and events, including the International Partnering Forum, the largest offshore wind conference in America. Learn more at oceantic.org.
