Oceantic Network
Oceantic Network is the premier member-based organization dedicated to growing the offshore wind and other ocean renewable industries and their supply chains.
Oceantic Network wishes to convene members to identify collaborative opportunities, critical issues, greater access to information, and effective responses to organized opposition and coordinated misinformation campaigns. This working group will identify and discuss strategic initiatives to support the U.S. offshore wind industry and supply chain; address opposition groups and campaigns; circulate market intelligence; advance top-line messages that address key issues or opportunities; and share best practices and develop solutions to common challenges.
Chair: TBD
Staff contact: Stephanie Francoeur
Offshore wind energy is a data–rich industry with the potential to utilize emerging big data technologies across all phases of project development to drive cost reduction through increased efficiency and risk mitigation. The Data & Digitalization Working Group (DDWG) is convened to provide a members’ forum to discuss, prioritize and take action to address data-related opportunities and industry needs in the U.S. offshore wind market. The Working Group’s mission is to catalyze an industry-wide approach to data acquisition, accessibility and analysis aimed at driving down the cost of permitting, construction, O&M and logistics, increasing financial return and supporting a global offshore wind community of practice to achieve breakthrough advances.
Chair: Joel Whitman (Global Marine Group)
External Support: Fara Courtney (Outer Harbor Consulting)
Staff Contact: Aybala Sen
Fifty-eight percent of the U.S.’s estimated technical resource potential capacity is located in areas with water depths greater than 60 meters and will require floating offshore wind turbine technology. Floating offshore wind, innovative technology is confronting many of the same hurdles—supply chain, ports, permitting—that face its fixed-bottom counterpart. It also faces unique challenges because the technology is at an earlier stage of development. The Floating Offshore Wind Working Group is focused on supply chain, infrastructure, and state policies needed to support the expansion of floating offshore wind in the U.S.
Chair: Tim Fischer (Ramboll)
Staff Contacts: Ross Gould
Green hydrogen presents a significant opportunity to reduce carbon and grow the offshore wind energy sector. A green hydrogen market is already developing in Europe and projected to be a $130 billion industry globally. The Green Hydrogen Working Group will identify important industry initiatives that will advance green hydrogen as well as its associated supply chain and stakeholders. In addition, it will develop solutions to pressing industry needs that will enable green hydrogen to move towards a competitive levelized cost of energy.
Chair: Joe Tirone (Jones Walker)
Staff Contact: Sylvana Gregg
The Gulf of Mexico working group seeks to inform and advance offshore wind in the Gulf by exploring the unique characteristics and opportunities present in the region, including the potential role of green hydrogen, repurposing of existing infrastructure and how to successfully integrate into the regional transmission grid system. The working group’s efforts will be augmented by and coordinated with other Network working groups addressing these topics.
Chair: Chris Hannan (Baker Donelson) and Will Baldwin(Jones Walker)
Staff contact: Sam Salustro
In 2021, as part of its effort to jumpstart the U.S. offshore wind industry, the Biden Administration announced a goal of 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and directed BOEM to advance auctions for new offshore wind lease areas, and complete review of at least 16 Construction and Operations Plans (COPs) by 2025. There are numerous opportunities for public input that are associated with this advancement, and the Market Development Advisory Committee provides a forum where developers, OEMs, and other Tier 1 suppliers of the Oceantic Network can shape the Network’s federal and state regulatory comments.
Limited to Members U.S. Offshore Wind Developer/OEM/Tier 1 Suppliers.
Staff contact: Sam Salustro
Ocean Renewables are abundant, reliable, predictable and generally complement offshore wind energy generation. They are defined as wave, tidal, ocean-based energy storage, nearshore solar, and offshore solar. This group identifies and discusses important initiatives of the industry to advance ocean renewables, its associated supply chain, and stakeholders.
Chair: Jason Cotrell (Sperra), Kim Fitzgibbons (Worley)
Staff Contacts: John Crye
The Ports and Logistics Working group is being launched (April 2022) to convene a cohesive discussion among key U.S. stakeholders to identify the most pressing needs and required responses to best ensure further development and enhancement of U.S. port facilities to be available for long-term offshore wind manufacturing, marshaling and deployment. For the U.S. offshore wind industry to be successfully established over the next 10 to 15 years, and to maximize the use of American made components and the employment of American workers, it is imperative to make significant and strategic investments in ports. Be on the front lines of developing innovative solutions and recommendations to policymakers.
Chair: Jack Haynie (Baird)
Staff Contact: Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez
The development of the offshore wind industry in the U.S. is limited, in part, by the lack of a robust domestic supply chain. For the supply chain to keep pace with demand, more companies must enter the offshore wind supply chain. This Working Group is an assembly of state representatives to provide feedback on the development of a supply chain road map for an offshore wind industry that can supply 30GWs by 2035. Its members will assess collected information and identify where federal government action is needed to advance growth of the U.S. supply chain.
The State Advisory Board is open only to government affiliated Network members and invited government representatives.
Staff Contact: Ross Gould
Grid and transmission constraints are a key hurdle to the long-term success of the U.S. offshore wind industry. Continued reliance on the generator lead-line interconnection queue process as a means for transmission planning will likely prevent the U.S. from deploying 30 GW by 2030.
The Grid & Transmission Working Group first published an offshore wind transmission paper (here) in October 2020, including key recommendations for how policymakers should consider reforming the transmission planning process to facilitate grid integration of large quantities of offshore wind generation. An update published May 2021 (here), contextualized developments in offshore wind planning in New Jersey, the United Kingdom, and Denmark, and made recommendations for immediate term and long-range strategic action that policymakers should take to ensure the long-term growth of the U.S. offshore wind industry. The Grid & Transmission Working Group is now considering the questions facing offshore wind transmission approaches in the Gulf of Mexico, and on the Pacific Coast.
Chair: John Dalton (Power Advisory, LLC)
Staff Contact: Sam Salustro
To achieve 30 GW by 2030, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates there will need to be at least 82 purpose-built offshore wind vessels, but currently only 27 have been announced, are under construction, or have been built. This Working Group will serve as a forum for problem-solving and as a means to communicate consensus opinions to the broader offshore wind industry on the necessary actions to address vessel availability.
Staff Contact: John Crye