As part of the ongoing collaboration between New Jersey and New York on all things offshore wind, the N.J. Economic Development Authority co-hosted a wind supplier forum with the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority last week in Atlantic City.
The forum, part of a bi-annual series, connected local businesses with developers and other contracted suppliers to explore opportunities in offshore wind, helping New Jersey and New York businesses to build the knowledge and relationships needed for success in the growing industry.
The event brought together more than 350 registered attendees from the regional offshore wind industry eager to supply products and services for projects along the East Coast.
“Through our partnership with NYSERDA, we were able to provide businesses across the region with critical information and a forum to directly connect with new opportunities in the growing sector,” EDA CEO Tim Sullivan said.
“Under Gov. Phil Murphy’s leadership, we are committed to realizing the promise of a clean energy future, and this Supplier Forum is a testament to our vision of a robust offshore wind economy.”
At the event, the states announced the launch of a joint workforce development website, offshorewindtraining.org, which includes occupation descriptions, funding opportunities, and a map of all the offshore wind training locations in both New Jersey and New York.
Attendees networked among developers and suppliers, as well as attended several informative sessions on supply chain development. Notably, the session “New York-New Jersey Partnership Success Story,” offered valuable insight into how New Jersey and New York businesses collaborated with European partners to localize components, creating a major manufacturing success in the rapidly growing US offshore wind industry.
Consistent with the commitment to support small businesses, the Forum featured 10 New Jersey and New York companies that made a two-minute pitch each to present their capabilities and highlight the services they can offer for offshore wind projects to an audience of developers and other primary component suppliers.
NYSERDA CEO Doreen Harris said the event will have impact.
“Gov. Hochul’s firm commitment to advancing offshore wind development while reducing its cost is bolstered by New York and New Jersey’s shared vision for a regional supply chain to support regional and national efforts to deploy this resource at scale,” she said. “Together, we can leverage the lessons learned from overcoming obstacles and keep driving progress for this powerhouse industry.”
