Business Network Launches New Floating-Focused Offshore Wind Education Program

The Business Network for Offshore Wind has launched its new Foundation 2 Blade: Floating industry training program, which focuses on the specialized needs of the new floating offshore wind sector. The U.S. floating market has come to life over this past year with newly leased areas in California’s deep waters as well as the federal goals of deploying 15 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035 and driving down the costs of the technology by 70 percent.

This training program will support the momentum toward floating technology by helping companies new to or that currently work in offshore wind understand and identify their place in the highly anticipated supply chain. 

The offshore wind industry is constantly innovating; as a result, new projects, practices, technologies, and market subsectors are continuously being introduced to stakeholders such as supply chain companies, market regulators, and communities. Foundation 2 Blade: Floating is a training program created to help these stakeholders stay up to date on the industry so they can strategically position themselves for success in this developing offshore wind sector.

“The advent of floating wind turbines has the potential to vastly increase the number of viable offshore wind projects,” said Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “Building on our previous success with the Foundation 2 Blade program, Foundation 2 Blade: Floating will provide stakeholders in all segments of the supply chain with the knowledge necessary for successful implementation of floating offshore wind projects.”

Foundation 2 Blade: Floating compliments the Network’s popular Foundation 2 Blade program, which is used by individual companies as well as government entities, including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and developers, like Dominion Energy and Ørsted, to educate new employees on the fast-growing industry. 

The Network’s first two-day training will begin March 27 and take place in conjunction with the International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum, the Network’s flagship conference taking place March 28-30 in Baltimore. The program features six modules that demystify the supply chain, spur innovation, and present a market entry path for a company focusing on the floating market. With the growing global demand for floating offshore wind and its emergence in the U.S., the Network’s newest industry education tool will help businesses understand and engage in this new offshore wind sector.

“The Network is focused on helping grow the U.S. supply chain, including the unique needs of the floating offshore wind industry that will be required in deeper waters off Americas coasts,” said Ben Brown, Senior Director of Industry Education at the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “The addition of Foundation 2 Blade: Floating will equip businesses and organizations with the knowledge and know-how they need to succeed in the industry.”