Our guest this episode is Scott Jensen, Director of the Rhode Island Dept. of Labor and Training. We start by looking at the Block Island Wind Farm, the nation’s first and still only operating offshore wind project, and how it has shaped the workforce in the state. We then talk about Governor Gina Raimondo’s vision for offshore wind and for positioning the state as a leader in continuing to meet the industry’s workforce needs. We then dive into some of the industry’s challenges and gaps, discuss some of Rhode Island’s unique resource and programs, and even touch on the origins of the Quonset Hut. We close with Scott sharing some of his perspective having served in two gubernatorial administrations in two states at two different stages of the offshore wind industry. 

Resources mentioned in the show include: 

• Real Jobs Rhode Island 

• Quonset Development Corporation 
• ProvPort 

Recorded July 25, 2019. Published August 20, 2019. 

Our guest this episode is Lorry Wagner, president of LEEDCo, the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation, and the developer of Icebreaker Wind. LEEDCo is fairly unique as an offshore wind developer in that it’s a non-profit organization rather than a for-profit developer.  So we start our conversation with the story of LEEDCo’s formation, and then we discuss the Icebreaker Wind project, soon to be the nation’s first and only offshore wind project in fresh waters. We cover the project details, where it stands in the permitting and approval process and the expected construction timetable. Lorry discusses his approach to partnering with Tier 1 suppliers and other businesses to make the project happen, and shares his thoughts on ways to develop a domestic supply chain of local content to serve this new industry. Lorry shares his observations about how the Oceantic Network and the IPF — the Network’s International Partnering Forum conference — have evolved and grown, and we close with him sharing a neat but unexpected development with Icebreaker Wind. 

In our conversation Lorry mentioned that Icebreaker Wind has received 13 of the 14 approvals it needs to move forward. Just a couple weeks after we recorded this episode, the project achieved an agreement with staff at the Ohio Power Siting Board. Lorry is optimistic that this agreement will move the project that much closer to getting final approval from the Board and hopefully a permit this fall.

Recorded April 10, 2019. Published June 21, 2019. 

Our guest this episode is Jason Folsom, National Sales Director for MHI Vestas U.S. Jason has been active in the offshore wind industry for more than a decade and has seen a lot of changes, so we start our conversation with Jason himself and his background. Then we discuss MHI Vestas, its background and its business development focus in the industry. Then we look at the US industry more broadly, how the domestic supply chain might develop, and how local businesses can find their niche within the industry. We close by looking at the role of technology and how technological advances may shape the industry moving forward. 

Recorded April 8, 2019. Published May 8, 2019. 

Our guests this episode are Walter Cruickshank and Jim Bennett, the Acting Director and the Program Manager for Offshore Renewables, respectively, at BOEM – the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which is the agency responsible for all energy leases in federal waters. 

Last week BOEM held an online auction for three wind energy areas south of Massachusetts. The auction was scheduled for one day but because there were so many rounds of bidding, BOEM had to extend the bidding into a second day. Not only that, the winning bid amounts blew away all of BOEM’s previous offshore wind leases. So naturally we begin the conversation by discussing the auction results – why they are so impressive, what the details are and what’s next for the winning bidders. Walter and Jim discuss how the industry has changed in just these past three years since these same lease areas were first offered at auction with no bidders, and then expand the conversation to talk about some of BOEM’s other offshore wind activity around the country, and what milestones they anticipate in the coming months and years. We look ahead to next year’s IPF at which BOEM always has a strong presence, and we close with Walter and Jim each reflecting on the state of the US offshore wind industry today and what it means for them personally having been involved in it from the very beginning. 

Recorded December 17, 2018. Published December 18, 2018.