Offshore

U.S. offshore wind leaders shape workforce development

U.S. offshore wind leaders shape workforce development
(Massachusetts Maritime Academy)

An advisory committee of offshore wind leaders has formed to help train the workforce that will be needed to meet the demand of the burgeoning industry along the U.S. East Coast.

The committee of eight industry leaders met for the first time on March 9 to support the Massachusetts Maritime Academy's offshore wind workforce development program within the Maritime Center for Responsible Energy.

Representatives from Ørsted, DEME Offshore US, Vineyard Wind, and Mayflower Wind, among others, are participating on the volunteer committee. Members will serve a two-year term and meet four times each year to provide industry insight to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

"I can’t wait to see what we do together to move this industry forward," said Captain Michael R. Burns, Jr., executive director of Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s MCR.

The eight members of the inaugural committee are:

  • Megan Amsler, Executive Director - Self-Reliance Corporation
  • Jeffrey M. Andreini, Vice President, New Energy - Crowley Shipping
  • David Borrus, Business Manager - Pile Drivers and Divers Local 56, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
  • Jennifer Cullen, Manager of Workforce & Supply Chain Development - Vineyard Wind
  • Sidney Florey, President - DEME Offshore US
  • Daniel Hubbard, Director of External Affairs & General Counsel - Mayflower Wind
  • Elizabeth Kretovic, Marine Affairs Senior Project Lead, NA Marine Affairs Commercial - Ørsted
  • Jenni Lewis, Managing Director, Caribbean, Mexico and USA - RelyOn Nutec USA

Urgent need

Vineyard Wind 1, the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the U.S., celebrated its groundbreaking in Barnstable, Massachusetts on Nov. 18, 2021. (Courtesy: Vineyard Wind US)
map
Layout of Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts.

Vineyard Wind and Mayflower Wind's involvement on the committee comes as no surprise. Both projects will soon need trained workers.

The Vineyard Wind 1 project, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, celebrated its groundbreaking in Barnstable, Massachusetts last November.

The 800 MW project is located 12 nautical miles offshore Martha's Vineyard, and is expected to become the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in operation in the U.S. when it is completed.

The project is expected to begin delivering power to the grid in 2023.

Mayflower Wind's construction plans are currently being reviewed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The company, a joint venture between Shell and Ocean Winds, said the lease area off Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket has a potential development capacity of 2.4 GW.

Mayflower Wind expects to create over 14,000 jobs in Massachusetts through its project. The company intends to hire 75% of the project's operations and maintenance staff from the local labor force, adding to the importance of development programs in the region.

"Mass Maritime is the catalyst bringing labor, education, workforce training, developers and others to create a group that is greater than the sum of its parts and Mayflower Wind is pleased to be among those seated at the table,” said Daniel Hubbard, Mayflower Wind's external affairs director and general counsel.

The Department of Energy expects that offshore wind development in the U.S. could create 43,000 jobs by 2030 to support the Biden administration's goal of developing 30 GW of offshore wind.

Last December, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed legislation that doubled the commonwealth's offshore wind commitment to 5.6 GW.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, meanwhile, estimates that the offshore wind industry will create around 3,000 jobs for the commonwealth by the end of the decade for the buildout of the first 1,600 MW.

MCEC identified 119 occupations across all phases of offshore wind development in its 2021 assessment of the industry's workforce development infrastructure. There are just 14 wind training and education programs operating in the Northeast that include offshore wind-specific curricula, according to the report, with 15 more in development.

The report also suggested that Massachusetts should engage the offshore wind industry in building curricula that supports their needs, like what is taking place at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

“We are honored that these exceptional individuals are willing to join us on this journey,” said Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, USMS, President of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. “They are bringing first-hand knowledge, experience and expertise to the table and committing to help us develop the best possible workforce to the industry. We welcome them and their input with the highest level of respect.”

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy's Maritime Center for Responsible Energy launched in 2019 and has seen over 150 successful course participants, according to the institution.