The Business Network for Offshore Wind, a nonprofit dedicated to building the U.S. offshore wind industry and a dedicated domestic supply chain, applauded President Biden's actions to advance offshore wind and supply chain development in the Gulf of Mexico and southern Atlantic. The President made his announcement during a visit to Brayton Point Power Station, a defunct coal-fired plant in Somerset, Massachusetts that will be repurposed into the Commonwealth's first offshore wind manufacturing facility. Prysmian Group, an Italian cable manufacturer, will transform the site into a manufacturing plant for submarine transmission cables used to bring power generated by offshore wind to the electrical grid.

Liz Burdock, CEO and founder of the Business Network for Offshore Wind issued the following statement on the President's visit:

"The transformation of this former coal-burning power plant into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for offshore wind components underscores the tremendous economic potential in accelerating America's clean energy transition. The first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the U.S. is beginning construction in Massachusetts and we have already seen $12.7 billion invested in the U.S. market to upgrade our ports, build new vessels, and stand up new factories like this one in Somerset. Fully building out our offshore wind industry will create 77,000 jobs and generate tens of billions more in investments this decade alone, however it will require more home-grown businesses and suppliers of all sizes to ensure projects move forward. The Brayton Point site will supply undersea power cables for two Massachusetts offshore wind projects, one of a dozen such efforts along the East Coast to strengthen our domestic supply chain.   

"President Biden's actions today will help drive development of the emerging offshore wind supply chain by unlocking much-needed workforce expertise, resources, and infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico and giving traditional energy workers opportunities to transition to new, good-paying jobs. Repealing the ban on leasing in the Atlantic will also lay the foundation for realizing this industry's long-term economic benefits.

"Together with the Biden Administration's federal-state partnership to grow the offshore wind industry launched last month, the Network is supporting the development of National Offshore Wind Supply Chain Roadmap that will help create local supply hubs and ensure the future of American-made clean power is built here at home."

Business Network for Offshore Wind | https://www.offshorewindus.org