The Business Network for Offshore Wind, a leading national organization dedicated to advancing offshore wind energy, has unveiled a groundbreaking report titled “Building a National Network of Offshore Wind Ports: A $36B Plan for Domestic Clean Energy Infrastructure.” This report, authored by Brian Sabina, CEO of Clean Energy Terminals, in collaboration with the Network’s Ports Working Group, emphasizes the critical need for substantial private and public investment in U.S. offshore wind port development. It also outlines practical solutions to secure the capital required to propel the U.S. offshore wind industry forward.
The overarching goal of this $36 billion plan is to facilitate the development of domestic port infrastructure that will support the United States in achieving its ambitious offshore wind deployment targets of 30 GW by 2030 and 110 GW by 2050. To accomplish this, the report meticulously details the cost and timing prerequisites for essential projects to ensure that ports are fully prepared to meet the burgeoning demand. Furthermore, it presents nine strategic approaches that state and federal policymakers can adopt to incentivize private investment, including subsidizing infrastructure costs and de-risking projects to boost confidence and cost-efficiency.
Liz Burdock, President and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, underscored the urgency of addressing the shortage of port infrastructure, stating, “The offshore wind industry has gained enormous momentum, but the shortage of port infrastructure developments is a critical bottleneck to industry growth that risks derailing progress. Federal and state governments must work together with private industry to incentivize and finance new offshore wind port projects to support our growing industry and create thousands of jobs in the process.”
While the U.S. offshore wind industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years, it faces significant challenges in scaling up to meet future demand. One of the primary impediments is the current inadequacy of the U.S. port infrastructure system to support projected offshore wind component manufacturing and project deployment. Although more than $2.5 billion has been invested in U.S. ports, the report emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of long-term port requirements and development timelines to facilitate sustainable offshore wind growth, which will generate numerous jobs in manufacturing, logistics, and operations.
Brian Sabina emphasized the enormous economic potential of investing in port infrastructure: “The offshore wind industry is poised to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy generation and manufacturing over the next 25 years. To unlock this long-term opportunity, we need to build more port infrastructure right now.”
This report underscores the urgent need for comprehensive investment and policy support to unlock the potential of the U.S. offshore wind industry, drive economic growth, and create sustainable, clean energy solutions for the nation’s future.
Key findings from the report include:
- Port infrastructure is a significant bottleneck hindering the U.S. offshore wind industry’s progress.
- The U.S. requires approximately 99-119 port development sites across the East Coast, West Coast, and the Gulf of Mexico to support the industry’s full growth, with 35 already in operation or under development.
- Without additional government funding and policy support to encourage private investment, port capacity will continue to impede offshore wind deployment across the country.
- The estimated cost to address the offshore wind port infrastructure gap over the next decade is $36 billion, accounting for construction cost inflation.
- Specialized ports on the West Coast, necessary for supporting floating offshore wind development, constitute more than a third of the overall U.S. market need.