At the 2026 International Partnering Forum (IPF) in New York City, Oceantic Network President & CEO Liz Burdock delivered a keynote address during Tuesday’s Opening Plenary outlining the industry’s challenges, its resilience, and the path forward. Her remarks framed this moment as a pivotal turning point that requires the industry to reimagine systems, renew confidence, and reignite long-term commitment across the offshore wind and ocean renewables sectors.
Her remarks reinforced what we know: Energy demand in the United States is rising rapidly, and offshore wind and other ocean renewables will be essential to meeting this surge reliably, affordably, and at scale.
However, over the past year, the offshore wind industry has faced an unprecedented wave of legal, administrative, and political disruptions. Established assumptions about permitting and project certainty were stress tested, and headlines frequently questioned the industry’s future. These disruptions were often designed to slow progress and undermine confidence.
Yet the industry remains unified. That unity, and the leadership it demonstrates, reflects why IPF is so consequential in 2026. The annual conference provides a venue for the sector not to retreat, but to recalibrate, collaborate, and determine next steps.
Reimagine: Creating a New Model for U.S. Offshore Wind
Burdock called on the industry to rethink systems that are no longer working. Procurement models designed for past market conditions must evolve. Transmission planning must reflect real-world constraints and future grid needs. Project sequencing, risk-sharing frameworks, and supply chain strategies all require modernization. The regulatory and political norms that once acted as predictable guardrails have shifted.
This change also opens new opportunities. The industry now has permission, and a responsibility, to design a new model for American offshore wind. Reimagining how the nation permits, finances, and builds future projects is not a backward step; it is the leadership required to meet expanding energy demand.
Renew: Strengthening Confidence Through Evidence
Renewed confidence must be built on facts and performance, not rhetoric.
Over the last year, workers, developers, and community leaders provided essential testimony in courts, statehouses, and public forums. Their stories underscored that offshore wind is not an abstract policy conversation; it is real American energy infrastructure delivering jobs, local investment, grid reliability, and economic stability.
Operational data reinforces that message. During Winter Storm Fern, when New England’s grid was strained and prices skyrocketed, offshore wind provided critical support. Vineyard Wind reached capacity factors up to 75% precisely when the grid needed it most.
It is this kind of evidence that will strengthen long-term confidence among policymakers, communities, and investors.
Reignite: Sustaining Commitment in a Challenging Moment
Reigniting momentum requires a shared commitment across states, industry, and suppliers. It demands collaborative state action, solution-focused engagement from industry, and long-term participation even during moments of uncertainty. Oceantic’s decision to hold IPF this year––combined with the positive response and engagement from industry and states at the forum––signals commitment that the industry is ready to move the work forward.
Looking Ahead
The challenges are real, but the opportunity is greater. Together let’s write the next chapter of America’s offshore renewable energy industry.Learn more about other takeaways from the Opening Plenary, and the rest of IPF Week here.
