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Offshore Energy at Work

Offshore wind energy is revitalizing American industries, creating thousands of jobs across the country in shipbuilding, steel manufacturing, port facilities, and more.

2024 was a year of great progress for the U.S. offshore wind energy industry. South Fork Wind (NY) became the country’s first operational commercial wind farm, and the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, Revolution Wind (CT and RI), and Vineyard Wind 1 (MA) projects began installation on the East Coast. These projects, and the supply chain that supports them, have created thousands of jobs in communities stretching from America’s heartland to its coastlines, engaging every part of the offshore wind supply chain, from shipbuilding and steel manufacturing to port development and the construction trades.

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$25+ Billion Invested
in the Supply Chain

Companies in 40
States with Contracts

 15+ GW
Under Contract

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American Jobs in Offshore Wind

Oceantic Jobs Tour

To recognize the incredible work being done by Americans nationwide, Oceantic Network kicked off our U.S. Jobs Tour in summer 2024. Along the way, we’re collecting videos, photos, and interviews of people and projects, showcasing the ingenuity, hard work, and innovation of American companies supporting our nation’s economy and energy independence. The economic benefits and job creation alone are remarkable, and the success we’ve already seen is just the beginning for the energy industry of the future.

Job Tour Stops & Highlights

  • Florida

    In Palatka, Florida, St. Johns Ship Building, Inc. has constructed and delivered three Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) for use in offshore wind construction and maintenance. Two more of these vessels, a 30-meter and a 24-meter, are still under construction at the yard, which has invested in new streamlined processes and an in-house aluminum welding training program. Jim Cutts, Johns CTV Program Director, said these changes have allowed them to increase efficiency, standards, and building speeds at the yard. 

    Oceantic Network staff visited the site in September, where they got a firsthand view of operations at the shipyard. 

  • Louisiana

    Courtesy of South Fork Wind

    Since installation began at Block Island, the nation’s first offshore wind farm, Louisiana’s shipbuilding industry has been a critical support to offshore wind projects on the East Coast. Activity in the state continues, with legacy shipbuilder Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) launching the first U.S.-built service operation vessel for the offshore wind industry, the ECO Edison. Oceantic Network staff attended the vessel’s christening on May 5, where they got an up-close view of the vessel’s interior and heard from leaders at Ørsted and ECO, as well as Louisiana elected officials, about the benefits offshore wind is bringing to the Gulf of Mexico’s shipbuilding industry.

    ECO has been a key shipbuilder serving the vessel needs of the offshore wind industry, having already contributed to the South Fork Wind, Vineyard Wind 1, and Revolution Wind projects. Learn more about ECO’s experience in offshore wind in a conversation between Oceantic Network and ECO’s Vice President of Renewables Michael Braid:

  • New Jersey

    Paulsboro, New Jersey is home to EEW American Offshore Solutions, the first and largest facility for wind turbine monopile production in the U.S. Having seen the strong opportunity in the market, EEW Group jumped in early and set up the first of several buildings on their site. There, monopiles weighing roughly 4 million pounds each will be produced.  

    When in full production mode, the facility will employ roughly 800 workers, many from local and international labor unions. EEW AOS is also actively partnering with area schools and colleges to set up training programs and ensure individuals in the local communities can learn the necessary skills to secure a job at the facility. 

    Oceantic Network staff visited the site in August, where they gained an appreciation for the true scale of these massive structures.

  • New York

    The State of New York is home to the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project, South Fork Wind, and the state’s manufacturing supply chain has ramped up to support the industry. During our visit, Network staff followed the journey of turbine components across the state. Steel procured from states like Kentucky and Pennsylvania is brought to LJUNGSTRÖM in western New York’s Wellsville to be cut, shaped, and welded into the components needed to build internal and external structures called advanced tower components. Additional local manufacturers, such as Technostrobe Offshore Solutions, BV Steel Technologies, and Lichtgitter USA provide lighting, cables, electrical housing, anodes, fasteners, and so many other small but critical components. Ultimately, these pieces make their way to the banks of the Hudson River, where union workers with Riggs Distler finalize the advanced foundation components for Sunrise Wind, developer Ørsted’s project off the coast of Long Island. 

    Oceantic Network staff visited these sites in August, where they heard first-hand from company leaders and employees about the new growth and opportunities that have materialized for them and their communities because of their participation in the U.S. offshore wind supply chain. Time and again we heard about these companies’ commitment to buying American products, hiring local workers, and contributing to the creation of a U.S. supply chain for the industry. To learn more about New York’s offshore wind supply chain, read the article below:

  • Pennsylvania

    In Philadelphia, Philly Shipyard, Inc. is home to the in-progress Acadia, the first U.S.-built subsea rock installation vessel for offshore wind. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company — a 130-year-old company headquartered in Houston — is constructing the vessel, which is designed to carry up to 20,000 metric tons of rock.  

    The 461-foot Acadia will transport and strategically deposit the rocks on the ocean floor around the monopiles to serve as a foundation support for the turbine. Last summer, a steel cutting ceremony for the vessel was attended by U.S. President Joe Biden (and the Oceantic team!), and crews laid the vessel’s keel earlier this year. Acadia is anticipated to be complete in the second half of 2025. 

    Oceantic Network staff visited Philly Shipyard in August, where they received a tour of the vessel’s construction operations. 

  • Rhode Island

    Rhode Island is another hub for offshore wind vessels. Senesco Marine LLC’s shipbuilding and repair yard has played a key role in delivering Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) for East Coast offshore wind projects like South Fork, and offshore wind has played a key role in Senesco’s growth. Over the past year, offshore wind-related projects have accounted for 40-70% of Senesco’s work, and their permanent employment has evened out around 300 — up from about 160 in March 2022. Currently, Senseco is nearing the completion of its fifth CTV in just under three years, with another on the way. By all measures, Senesco’s commitment of time and money to offshore wind projects has been well worth it.

    In May, several Oceantic team members visited Rhode Island and South Fork Wind as part of the Jobs Tour. They witnessed CTVs being constructed by Senesco welders in real-time, vessels that will support turbine construction and maintenance. They also had the opportunity to tour a former Gulf of Mexico oil vessel that Otto Candies has retrofitted into a service operations vessel (SOV), also known as a “floating hotel,” which supports maintenance crews over long periods of time.

    To learn more about Rhode Island’s place in the greater offshore wind supply chain, read the articles below.

     

  • South Carolina

     

    Just outside of Charleston, nacelle research and testing are taking place at Clemson University’s Dominion Energy Innovation Center. Oceantic Network staff visited the site in September, where Director of Test Operations Dr. Amin Bibo shared how advancements in engineering and the use of digital twins are helping OEMs, developers, suppliers, and others understand the long-term durability of nacelle components and continue improving and advancing them. 

    Nearby, Nexans is operating America’s first and only subsea high voltage cable manufacturing facility. Director of Business Development Emmanuel Martin-Lauzer and the Nexans team showed Network staff how their cables are made from start to finish. Since a facility expansion in 2021, Nexans has delivered cables for U.S. offshore wind projects South Fork Wind and Revolution Wind and is now manufacturing for Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind.

  • Spotlight: Ocean Impact

    From the early phases of surveying, through installation, the construction of offshore wind farms requires mariners, companies and commercial fishermen with knowledge of the ocean and an ability to observe, monitor, and protect the animals and wildlife in it. Many U.S. companies have answered this call, collecting data that’s useful not only to project developers, but also to conservation efforts that require this new information to better protect ocean environments and marine mammals.

    Courtesy of Sea Services North America

    In New London, Connecticut, co-op Sea Services North America is bridging the gap between offshore wind project developers and commercial fishermen, creating opportunities for those fishermen to earn extra income by providing guard, scouting, and environmental compliance services to the growing clean energy industry. Over the past three years, Sea Services has successfully trained over 80 independent and active fishermen who are now supporting offshore wind projects, yielding over $10 million in income for their work. 

    Also in Connecticut, ThayerMahan’s business is booming, supplying marine monitoring and other technology services to offshore wind developers. The company has increased its employee count over five-fold since 2020. The company’s SeaPicket system uses advanced sensors and software to detect whales at distances beyond 30 miles. Since deploying the system last summer, ThayerMahan has detected and recorded thousands of whale vocalizations, data that was previously not attainable, yet is invaluable to both conservation efforts and commercial operation. 

    To learn more about the business offshore wind is driving while increasing our understanding of our oceans, read the articles below: 

  • Supply Chain Focus: South Fork Wind

    South Fork Wind demonstrated the ability of American industry to assemble a supply chain for offshore wind projects. Building the project required a supply chain that stretched across at least 19 states, and sparked nearly $1 billion in new investments from upstate New York and Connecticut to the Gulf Coast, supporting it and other near-term projects. The Network has identified 173 supply chain contracts associated with the South Fork Wind project, ranging from engineering and survey work to vessel construction and operation.

    Courtesy of South Fork Wind

    The Gulf of Mexico played an outsized role in South Fork’s construction, leveraging its offshore oil and gas construction expertise. In May, Louisiana shipbuilder Edison Chouest Offshore launched the first new-build SOV in the U.S., the ECO Edison, which will be used in Ørsted’s northeast projects. The $100 million vessel put 600 individuals to work at the Edison Chouest shipyard in Southern Louisiana and yielded a supply chain reaching 34 states. Further west, Texas’ Gulf Copper retrofitted an existing barge that operator Crowley used to transport the turbine blades — as long as a football field — and nacelles from the port to the South Fork installation site. In Corpus Christi, Texas, Kiewit Offshore Services manufactured the first American-made offshore wind substation with the help of 350 workers in the Gulf and in Kansas. Gulf operators like Otto Candies and Guice Offshore also brought vessels out of the Gulf to support installation activities.

    Courtesy of South Fork Wind

    These are just a few of the dozens of locations around the nation that contributed to South Fork’s construction. For more details about the supply chain for South Fork Wind, read the below articles: 

  • Virginia

    Liz onsiteIn Virginia, construction of Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) is well underway, supported by the Portsmouth Marine Terminal where Dominion has leased 72 acres for its current project, as well as future ones. So far, marshaling and assembly work for the project has created 540 construction jobs and 1,000 operations jobs, including the construction of the Fairwinds Landing Maritime Operations and Logistics Center nearby.

    Also in the state, LS GreenLink is investing $681 million to build a brand-new cable manufacturing facility in Chesapeake that will create over 330 full-time jobs. Governor Youngkin approved a $13.2 million grant to support the project, and soon after launched the Virginia Offshore Wind Supplier Developer Grant program to incentivize other companies in the state to begin manufacturing for offshore wind.

    There’s a plethora of offshore wind-related work taking place in Virginia, and Oceantic Network will continue sharing the exciting news out of this region. For those looking to see the activity up close, join us in Virginia Beach from April 28-May 1 for the 2025 International Partnering Forum. To learn more about the importance of port facilities such as the Portsmouth Marine Terminal to offshore wind, read the articles below:

  • Wisconsin

    The Midwest may seem a long way from offshore wind, but Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding would beg to differ. Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin has become home to the construction of new Service Operations Vessels (SOVs), one of the most important vehicles for offshore wind. SOVs serve as “floating hotels,” providing a home for workers during longer projects.

    A team from Oceantic visited Sturgeon Bay in May, experiencing the job-generating impact of East Coast offshore wind projects on the local community firsthand. The team saw Fincantieri engaged in the construction of an SOV for CREST Wind, which will service Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. As the largest employer in Sturgeon Bay, Fincantieri boasts a dedicated workforce of 400 employees focused on the production of this vital vessel, among others, underscoring the region’s significant contribution to the offshore wind industry. To learn more about Wisconsin’s place in the greater offshore wind supply chain, read the article below:

#IamOffshoreWindShare Your Story in 3 Easy Steps

The I Am Offshore Wind campaign aims to highlight the many diverse roles, achievements, and personal journeys of those working across the U.S. offshore wind supply chain: steelworkers, painters, laborers, engineers, technicians, electricians, and more.

Help us showcase the burgeoning sector’s significant impact in creating American jobs and clean, renewable energy. By participating, you’ll help us celebrate the staggering breadth of our industry, inspire future talent, and amplify the collective voice of the offshore wind community.

It’s more important than ever to show the world that we are U.S. offshore wind proud, and “we are the “I” in offshore wind.

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