More than half of the US’s existing offshore wind pipeline is at risk of not being installed this decade due to limited availability of ports and vessels, according to analysts.
A new report by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Tufts University and the Business Network for Offshore Wind (BNOW) flagged supply chain investments of at least $22.4 billion as necessary to meet President Joe Biden’s goal of 30GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.
This estimated investment total would cover major manufacturing facilities, ports and large installation vessels – though not support vessels, workforce training programmes, expansion of existing businesses in the supporting supply chain, or additional facilities that may be needed for regional demand.
Such an investment would help to supply 4–6GW of new offshore wind capacity annually.
Additional investment would be required beyond 2030 to expand floating offshore wind infrastructure, according to the report, A supply chain roadmap for offshore wind energy in the US.
The report’s authors also warn that more than half of the existing pipeline is at risk of not being installed by 2030 because of limited port and vessel availability.
And as it stands – with the US currently lacking a supply chain for offshore wind – more than half of wind components needed to reach the country’s 30GW 2030 target would have to be imported, the report’s authors believe.
