American Offshore Energy At Work

Offshore energy is working, and so is America. We know it, because we’ve seen it.??

Over the past two years, Oceantic Network has traveled the country to visit offshore wind suppliers in places like Cleveland, the Louisiana Bayou, and Hampton Roads, Virginia where we’ve had the opportunity to meet dozens of the skilled, hard-working men and women who are welding, manufacturing, and installing the components that make up American’s newest and necessary energy sources.?

These individuals and companies represent just a sliver of the nearly 2,000 supplier contracts our organization has identified across 40 states that are putting thousands of Americans to work and attracting more than $25 billion in new investments into vessel construction, transmission upgrades, port revitalization, manufacturing expansion, research advancement, and workforce training.??

The result is an American-made industry delivering homegrown energy security and globally competitive shipbuilding and industrial capabilities.?

Earlier today, we released “Offshore Energy at Work,” a publication containing data, exclusive photos, and videos that profile the people and companies from all corners of our nation who are participating in this domestic and burgeoning supply chain. Inside, you’ll find stories of job growth, new investments, and local economic transformations. Here’s just a few of the takeaways contained in the book:?

• In South Carolina, Nexans executed a $250 million facility expansion and grew their employee count by over 200%, putting more than 200 people to work manufacturing subsea cables for both American and European projects.?

• From its Palatka, Florida home base, St. Johns Ship Building completed serial production of five new vessels that will be used for daily maintenance operations at offshore wind projects off the New England coast.??

• Shipyards in both Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana have hundreds of workers building new, larger vessels that will keep well-paid American wind technicians at sea for weeks at a time to help keep the turbines running smoothly.?

• In the small, central New York town of Wellsville, 100-year-old steel fabricator LJUNGSTR?M expanded its payroll by more than 87% in response to new offshore wind manufacturing work. The company now employs roughly 375 people.?

Notably, more than half of the industry's supply chain and manufacturing investments to date have flowed into Republican congressional districts compared to Democratic ones. This remains consistent with a trend observed in other offshore energy industries.?

The fate of offshore wind energy is a hot topic in Washington, D.C., but little is said about the current state of the industry. Today, three commercial-scale projects are under active installation off the coasts of Virginia and New England, responding to states and utilities that are seeking new sources to meet the growing energy demand driven by AI, data centers, and electric vehicles. One commercial-scale project is already operational, and two more are set to begin installation this summer. Combined, these represent more than $20 billion worth of projects that will deliver power to 2.1 million homes.?

The offshore wind industry is already here, putting Americans to work and advancing our energy security and global dominance. We’ve witnessed it, and now through this publication, everyone else can, too.?

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