Massachusetts to gauge its offshore wind supply chain

A comprehensive offshore wind supply chain assessment and gap analysis is set to be undertaken in Massachusetts in support of the growing offshore wind industry in and around the state.

Xodus Group announced on 12 October that it will, together with BW Research Partnership and in coordination with Greentree Consulting and the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership, conduct the assessment of the local and regional supply chain on behalf of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).

The research will be based on the requirements of both developers and tier one companies, and the capabilities, qualifications and interest of Massachusetts companies and neighbouring states.

“With much of the offshore wind facilities currently manufactured and produced overseas, MassCEC is supporting efforts to develop a robust local supply chain in Massachusetts and throughout the region that can manufacture and produce turbine components and associated equipment at a scale necessary to serve planned and anticipated offshore wind projects”, Xodus Group states.

“Such measures aim to help the industry improve efficiency and reduce costs as the scale of development grows, while helping local communities further realise the economic benefits associated with offshore wind”.

According to a report issued by MassCEC in 2018, deployment of 1,600 MW of offshore wind in the state would generate a total economic impact of between USD 1.4 billion to USD 2.1 billion, with direct impact on state economic output between USD 675 million to USD 800 million. Indirect, supply chain, impacts have been estimated to range from USD 360 million to USD 775 million.

“Our outreach campaign will provide an in-depth assessment of the offshore wind supply chain to identify the strengths of Massachusetts and neighbouring states”, said Jamie MacDonald, Xodus’ director of operations in Boston. “This is a big step in the right direction in working towards a multi-state regional supply chain cluster, offering the industry a wide network and the best of what each state has to offer. We aim to create a local sustainable supply chain to ensure offshore wind as an industry can be more efficient in the future, providing significant economic impacts for the region”.