Like many industries, offshore wind is heavily impacted by nagging supply chain problems. The federal government is leading an effort to help the industry get past these hurdles and tap into its vast potential on the East Coast.

On June 23, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new federal-state partnership to expand the domestic supply chain for offshore wind. The DOE is leading the development of a comprehensive offshore wind supply chain “roadmap” as part the Biden administration’s “Federal—State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership.”

The unique effort involves collaboration between federal agencies and 11 East Coast states. The partnership’s intent is to build a strong domestic supply chain for offshore wind that includes a skilled U.S. workforce and accelerated work on offshore wind to meet regional needs.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said the partnership will enable states and the federal government to “blow the lid off” the growing offshore wind industry.

The partnership includes participation from Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

With the federal government, the partners have agreed to take several steps to help advance a domestic supply chain for offshore wind. These steps include working collaboratively to enhance domestic manufacturing, logistics and a workforce development network; working together to address commonly identified high-priority gaps and to facilitate regional solutions; engaging with underserved communities; aligning planned offshore wind procurements with offshore wind lease auctions; and supporting the development of a domestic fleet of offshore wind installation and service vessels.

The administration expects the partnership to eventually expand to include states from the West Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The partnership is part of the administration's larger goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.