Offshore Wind in North America 2024… so far

The premier event for offshore wind in North America is the International Partnering Forum hosted by Oceantic in New Orleans

Fill out this form to pre-register for DNV’s upcoming content - including a webinar expanding on our IPF session with Avangrid and Vineyard Offshore on floating offshore wind developments and our upcoming whitepaper on floating wind in the Gulf of Maine.

Read more about our participation and view our related materials.

Visit our experts at booth 1200 to learn how DNV supports the safe development of offshore wind.


In my previous blog, I listed the industry progress we are expecting in North America this year. As we enter the second quarter of 2024, we can report that our clients are showing a net positive outlook for their current and future offshore wind development and investment objectives. This positivity is coming from the major milestones met by projects and future lease auction areas in the United States (U.S.) and Canada is getting closer to an offshore wind industry on the east coast:

  1. Future Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Lease Auctions:
    1. Oregon – Two finalized Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) were announced by BOEM
    2. Gulf of Maine – The final WEA was announced by BOEM
    3. Central Atlantic – A draft Environmental Assessment (EA) was published in the Federal Register
    4. Gulf of Mexico – The Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for four lease areas was announced by BOEM
  2. Energy Solicitation Results:
    1. New Jersey selected Attentive 1 and Leading Light in their most recent energy solicitation
    2. New York selected Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind 1 in their most recent energy solicitation
    3. New England states Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut are considering four projects for their 6.8 GW energy solicitation:
      1. Avangrid’s New England Wind 1 & 2 (formerly known as Park City Wind and Commonwealth Wind)
      2. Orsted’s Starboard Wind (formerly known as Bay State Wind)
      3. Vineyard Offshore’s (Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners) Vineyard Wind 2
      4. OW Ocean Winds’ (EDPR and engie JV) SouthCoast Wind
  3. Progress in Canada:
    1. Nova Scotia announced the potential of six areas for offshore wind development
    2. Newfoundland and Labrador released preliminary offshore wind licensing area recommendations
    3. Bill C-49 remains with the Standing Committee on Natural Resources; but progress is expected the first half of this year.
  4. Project Milestones:
    1. South Fork Wind became the first completed commercial offshore wind project in North America
    2. Vineyard Wind was the first commercial offshore wind project to begin operations in North America
    3. Sunrise Wind received Federal Record of Decision and takes a Final Investment Decision
    4. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind and Empire Wind 1 have had their Construction and Operations Plans (COP) approved by BOEM.

International Partnering Forum

The premiere event for offshore wind in North America is the International Partnering Forum (IPF) hosted by Oceantic (formerly known as The Business Network for Offshore Wind) in New Orleans, LA, April 22-25. Many of the services we offer across our various business areas support the safe development of offshore wind; so, we will have representatives with a wide range of expertise attending the conference this year. Stop by booth #1200 to speak with our experts from offshore wind advisory, maritime, finance due diligence, digital solutions, power systems advisory, and renewables certification. 

In addition to meeting with our clients and partners, we will be participating in a few technical discussions:

  • Monday, April 22nd: Leading a discussion for the Grid and Transmission Working Group – Morgan Putnam, Power Systems Advisory
  • Tuesday, April 23rd: Hosting a luncheon panel about floating wind – Jessica O’Connor (moderator) and Javier Molinero (panelist), Offshore Wind Advisory
  • Wednesday, April 24th and Thursday, April 25th: Participating as a moderator or panelist for seven panels:
    • Achieving HVDC Adoption in the U.S.: Funding, Projects, and What's Next – Morgan Putnam, Power Systems Advisory (panelist)
    • Enhancing Safety in Offshore Wind Installation: Lessons from Massachusetts – Cheryl Stahl (moderator)
    • The Road Already Taken: Securing Community Acceptance of Onshore Transmission Siting – Morgan Putnam, Power Systems Advisory (moderator)
    • Overcoming Challenges in Offshore Wind Power Transmission on the West Coast – Rob Sellick, Power Systems Advisory (panelist)
    • OSW Turbines and Hurricanes -- what can we learn from Asia? – Ruth Heffernan Marsh, Offshore Wind Advisory (panelist)
    • State-of-the-Art Offshore Wind Design – Won Ho Lee, Digital Solutions (panelist)
    • The Pivotal Role of Certified Verification Agents and Lessons Learned – Armita Mohammadian, Renewables Certification (panelist).

Conclusion

DNV is celebrating 160 years of providing advisory, certification, and due diligence for the safe design and manufacturing of ocean-based infrastructure. To do this, DNV has always used state-of-the-science methodologies and employs highly credentialed and tenured experts in each industry we serve. Our history and approach for de-risking energy development has made DNV a global leader for offshore wind.

We look forward to engaging with our clients and peers in our industry at IPF this year. As we share the insights we’ve gained, we will be listening for industry updates and celebrating our milestones in North America!

Reach out to me if you’d like to schedule a meeting with any of our subject matter experts. You can also attend our speaking events or find us at booth #1200.

 

4/3/2024 1:00:00 PM

Many of DNV’s delegation to IPF this year will be from our North American offshore wind advisory team. This team serves offshore wind developers and investors as an extension of their technical teams to provide feasibility and pre-auction due diligence, preliminary and bankable energy yield modeling, permitting and navigation compliance support, and a whole host of owner’s engineering tasks through project operations.
Our team also offers the following software to support the development of offshore wind:

  • Renewables.Architect (LCOE modeling and optimization)
  • Resource Panorama (wind and solar resource data management)

This year our team will be hosting a luncheon on Tuesday to provide technical insights for floating wind in North America. I will be moderating the technical panel with our floating technology lead, Javier Molinero, on the panel with representatives from Vineyard Offshore and AVANGRID to get a perspective of floating wind from two major offshore wind developers in North America.

The members of our team attending IPF this year are:

  • Chris Ward (Head of Offshore Wind North America)
  • Onur Kaprol (Head of Wind Energy Assessments)
  • Jake Frye (Technical Director)
  • Jessica O’Connor (Business Development Lead and writer of this article)
  • Cheryl Stahl (Principal Consultant and Project Manager)
  • Ruth Heffernan Marsh (Principal Engineer and Project Manager)
  • Noé Rouxel (Senior Naval Architect and Project Manager)
  • Javier Molinero (Senior Project Manager and Floating Wind Lead).

Offshore wind project development needs specialized vessels, and our maritime team uses our 160 years of experience to enhance the safety, quality, energy efficiency, and environmental performance of global offshore wind vessels and structure.


Attending IPF this year is Piotr Szalewski and Sergio Garcia, two of our North American offshore wind subject matter experts. With significant ship and offshore classification experience, the team will be on hand to share insights on U.S. standards and recommended practices, so you can benefit from DNV’s industry leading expertise, knowledge and experience in the offshore wind project lifecycle.

DNV are a leading authority on operational risk and the feasibility of working practices across all aspects of marine operations in the wind energy sector. Our Noble Denton marine services have been active in the marine warranty market for more than half a century. We are one of the market leaders in the provision of marine warranty surveys to the wind
energy industry.

Our service experts have issued marine warranty approvals for some of the world's largest offshore wind farms. As a leading authority we have developed a comprehensive set of standards, guidelines and recommended practices for planning and execution of marine operations being used throughout the whole industry – even by our competitors.

We provide efficient solutions based on the breadth of our organization and global network.

Attending IPF from our Noble Denton marine services team is Craig Reid (Head of Section, Noble Denton Marine Services).

Offshore wind projects need capital as debt and tax equity investors and through mergers & acquisitions (M&A). DNV has a strong history in providing the rigorous due diligence investors need to mitigate the risks of their renewable energy projects. Our team of engineers serve the industry as lender’s technical advisor (LTA) and independent engineer (IE) for tax equity, debt, and M&A. Our subject matter experts understand the particularities of financing offshore wind and pull in technical support from the wealth of expertise from other DNV teams across North America.

Attending IPF from our finance due diligence team are:

  • Christian Thomas Lindeen (Commercial Lead, Offshore Wind LTA/IE)
  • Chris Elkinton (Principal Consultant, Offshore Wind)
  • Alana Duerr (Principal Consultant, M&A).

DNV has over 50 years of engineering experience in creating leading software and methodologies for the renewable energy industry. DNV Digital Solutions is the only supplier in the market offering software from the feasibility studies all the way through to the structural asset management of wind farms and are the most widely used software in renewable energy. These tools are developed, improved, and sold through our Digital Solutions team. The software solutions we have for the offshore wind industry include:

  • Sesam (structural design and analysis for fixed and floating offshore structures)
  • Bladed (aero-elastic modeling to optimize for loads, performance, and life extension)
  • WindFarmer (onshore and offshore wind farm design and energy yield assessment)
  • SolarFarmer (solar farm design and energy yield assessment)

Our team supports developers, technology OEMs, and consultants by providing custom model building within the commercial software and advising on the modules that best suit their needs. The engineers and software developers are also creating custom digital tools tailored to very specific needs and have a focus on updating the software for the offshore wind industry.

Attending IPF this year will be:

  • Heather Weitzner (Technical Business Development Manager, Renewables and Ocean Structures)
  • Garth Harrison (Strategic Business Development Manager, Renewables and Ocean Structures)
  • Won Ho Lee (Customer Success & Pre-Sales Lead, Renewables and Ocean Structures)

More about DNV’s offshore wind software can be read here.

Our clients rely on us as an extension of their own technical teams and include offshore wind developers, offshore transmission developers, utilities, and energy regulators. Our multi-disciplinary teams empower our clients with factual insights and expertise in high voltage infrastructure planning and modeling, environmental and physical sciences, permitting and regulations, and Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED).

We specialize in standalone offshore energy and the export of offshore-produced energy to load centers. Our services encompass navigating interconnection challenges, advising on system concepts, refining system designs, and advocating for our clients’ needs with their Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors.

Attending IPF this year will be Morgan Putnam, who will be wearing many hats at the conference (as described above) and Rob Sellick who will be on a panel about offshore wind transmission on the west coast.

To gain approval for an offshore wind project, U.S. regulations require that an independent third party (CVA) is appointed to certify the design, fabrication, and installation. The CVA is nominated by the offshore wind facility’s developer for approval by DOI, on behalf of which the CVA performs its activities. DNV’s Renewables Certification (RC) division has been active as a CVA from the very beginning of the U.S. offshore wind journey and is the most experienced CVA having certified the first BOEM approved FDR-FIR (Cape Wind), as well as the first BOEM approved Final FIR and successful start of Commercial Operations (CVOW Pilot). DNV is currently the Certifying Body for several offshore wind projects in US Outer Continental Shelf and state waters.

DNV Renewables Certification brings a dedicated team of around 300 technical specialists working exclusively to certify renewable energy projects globally. Our experience as CVA of US offshore wind projects is unmatched. Our broad engagement across the US market also ensures that we are very familiar with the main designers, contractors and OEMs and their approaches to demonstrate compliance with US regulations.

The members of Renewables Certification team attending IPF this year are:

  • Armita Mohammadian (Country Manager USA)
  • Mette Redanz (Global Head of Offshore Wind Project Certification)
  • Markus Kochmann (Global Head of Offshore Wind Substation)
  • David Maloney (Director of Subsea Cables)
  • Andreas Jensen (Senior Principal and Project Manager).

Learn how DNV supports the safe development of offshore wind

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