AWEA’s Offshore WINDPOWER: Realizing the promise of offshore wind

Offshore wind is still a young industry in the U.S., but that’s rapidly changing. Interest has exploded in the three years since the Block Island Wind Farm became the first U.S. offshore wind project to come online. Now the second project, a 12 megawatt (MW) Dominion Energy wind farm, recently began construction off Virginia’s coast, a harbinger of what’s to come. In total, there are currently more than 26,000 MW of offshore wind in various stages of development off the East Coast and in the Great Lakes, with additional potential off the West Coast.

The momentum for offshore wind continues leading into AWEA’s Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition, taking place later this month in Boston. We’ve been blown away (no pun intended!) by the response to this important event, and are grateful to our sponsors and event partners. Our program chairs, Jason Folsom, National Sales Director at MHI Vestas, and Rachel Pachter, Vice President of Permitting Affairs at Vineyard Wind, have shown great vision and guidance for the educational conference content and we are thankful for the time they’ve spent working with our team to put together such a compelling program.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROGRAM INCLUDE:

• Keynote Speakers – A wide range of experts will kick off this year’s conference. Attendees will hear from Massachusetts State Senator, Marc Pacheco; Daniel Simmons, Assistant Secretary, Department of Energy (DOE) – Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Office to Secretary; and Kathleen Theoharides, Secretary, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Pioneers & Innovators Panel – Emerging technologies take time to come to commercial scale and offshore wind has come a long way from its start with Henrik Stiesdal, who created the pioneering technology we use in offshore wind today. More innovation is needed to unlock more energy from ocean winds and to reduce costs across the value chain. Wind pioneer Henrik Stiesdal will be joined by others immersed in developing exciting offshore wind technologies to discuss what’s on the horizon for the industry.
• Sold out exhibition – This year’s exhibition will be one of the largest the Offshore Conference has ever seen. With more than 70 exhibitors, there will be new product launches, more service offerings, and exciting demos. This is the place to make new connections and finalize both deals.

ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS INCLUDE:

• Thomas Brostrøm, President North America, Ørsted
• Walter Cruickshank, Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
• Tom Kiernan, President & CEO, American Wind Energy Association
• Alexander Herrgott, Executive Director, Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC)
• Boone Davis, President & CEO, Atlantic Terminals
• Philippe De Montigny, Co-CEO & Founder, Enstructure LLC
• Elias Greenbaum, President, GTA Inc.
• Michael Casey, President, Tigercomm
• Christer af Geirjstam, President, Equinor Wind US
• Rod Richardson, President, Grace Richardson Fund
• Carrie Cullen Hitt, Executive Director, National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium
• Stan Kaczmarek, Chief, Safety and Environmental Management System Section, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
• Kris Ohleth, Senior Manager – Stakeholder Engagement, North America, Ørsted Wind Power North America LLC
• Annie Hawkins, Executive Director, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance
• Ted Boling, Associate Director for NEPA, Council on Environmental Quality
• Michele DesAutels, US Coast Guard, First District
• Laura Hastings, Grant Advisor, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation
• Henrik Tordrup, Partner, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
• Laura Morales, Environmental Permitting Manager, Equinor
• Michelle Morin, Chief, Environment Branch for Renewable Energy, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
• Scott Lundin, Head of Permitting – New England, Equinor Wind US
• Joshua Kaplowitz, Attorney-Advisor, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

As more steel goes in the water, this event will only continue to grow in value and scope. We hope to see you in Boston, October 22 – 23! View the full speaker list, event schedule and register now!