Louisiana, are you offshore wind ready? The Oceantic Network, in partnership with H2theFuture and Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO), will offer its Offshore Wind Ready training program free to businesses across Louisiana during the second week in November 2023.
The Louisiana Offshore Wind Ready Training Series will bring the Network’s popular one-day training program to New Orleans November 1, Lake Charles November 3, Lafayette November 6, Thibodaux November 8, and Baton Rouge November 10. These sessions will provide critical information for businesses in adjacent industries looking to expand into offshore wind.
GO Marine Services Managing Director Jody Broussard will be attending the Lafayette event on November 6. GO Marine Services, a catering and offshore labor contractor, supports mission requirements that help minimize mobilization time and expense for customers with special services like marine riggers, roustabouts and certified protected species observers in compliance with marine mammal regulatory requirements.
Offshore Wind Ready is a one-day educational program designed for businesses who want to learn more about the opportunities available in the growing U.S. offshore wind industry – both to domestic and export markets. Attendees will learn about project development, a project’s supply chain component parts, and how to identify where their business fits into the supply chain.
Created by the Oceantic Network, (formerly the Business Network for Offshore Wind), the Offshore Wind Ready program will help Louisiana businesses take advantage of business opportunities including services, component manufacturing, and shipbuilding
“Louisiana businesses are already contributing to the U.S. offshore wind supply chain,” said Jacqueline Baldini, senior director of education and training at the Oceantic Network. “This program will help more local businesses identify, understand, and take advantage of the growing offshore wind market. Thanks to our sponsors, H2theFuture and Greater New Orleans, Inc., Louisiana businesses will have the opportunity to learn about and prepare to enter the offshore wind industry, which is poised to bring clean, renewable energy and quality jobs to Louisiana.”
“Louisiana’s legacy as a leader in energy innovation creates an opportunity for companies currently working in traditional verticals to transition into offshore wind activity,” said Lacy McManus, executive director of future energy at Greater New Orleans, Inc. “The Business Network for Offshore Wind is experienced in providing the guidance that will be delivered through this training, and the results will create jobs and economic growth across the state. We encourage Louisiana companies to take advantage of this incredible opportunity.”
All sessions will begin at 10 a.m. and run until 4 p.m. local time. Additional sponsors for the Series include the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, One Acadiana, South Louisiana Economic Council, Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.
Additional Information:
Offshore Wind Supply Chain Organization Rebrands as “Oceantic Network”— Reinforcing Members’ Leadership in Offshore Wind Power, Positioning Itself for New Opportunities in Ocean-Based Renewable Energy
The Business Network for Offshore Wind, the leading national organization working to accelerate offshore wind energy development and build a dedicated domestic supply chain, announced today that is has adopted a new name: Oceantic Network. This rebranding reinforces the organization’s strategic commitment to convene stakeholders in all ocean-based sources of renewable power, leveraging members’ expertise and investments in developing offshore wind capabilities.
“Changing our name is an opportunity to refresh our messages, introduce our organization to new potential members, and inspire more stakeholders to look to the oceans for efficient, reliable renewable energy,” said Liz Burdock, President and CEO. “Our new name—Oceantic Network—symbolizes the broadening of the network’s scope and strategy, extending our members’ leadership in offshore wind to encompass multiple sources of sustainable ocean power that build off of offshore wind.”
As Oceantic Network, the nonprofit organization will continue to host the industry-leading International Partnering Forum (IPF) — the premier annual conference of offshore wind stakeholders and the largest in the Americas. Under the Oceantic Network banner, IPF will continue to convene federal and state agencies, manufacturers, workforce advocates, scientists, engineers and maritime operators that develop, harness and connect ocean clean energy.
With its expanded focus, today the Network also launched a new website, oceantic.org, where individuals can read through FAQs and learn about the Network’s updated mission. The website features a redesigned navigation system, making it easier than ever to find important industry information, including for those new to the industry, young professionals, media, and public partners. The new “Info For” section is designed to help users easily access the latest reports, events, and products relevant to their business or organization.
In a message published today, Burdock stated, “Our members recognize that the oceans—whose winds they have devoted a decade to harnessing—hold a far greater store of energy than previous generations ever imagined. In addition to the stronger, more sustained winds over the oceans, the ocean’s waves, tides, billions of surface acreage for gathering solar power, and the awesome innovations of green hydrogen all create new possibilities for economic activity, jobs, and abundant clean energy.”
Additional Resource:
- Video: Business Network for Offshore Wind Rebrands to Oceantic Network, Embraces Ocean Renewables
- Oceantic Network Website
The Business Network for Offshore Wind Changed Its Name To Oceantic Network. Here’s Why.
Over the past decade, the Business Network for Offshore Wind has become the leading convener of companies and people who believe in the transformational benefits of offshore wind energy. They have brought their members together to make business connections, share scientific and economic data, and shape public policy, all in pursuit of drawing power from one of the ocean’s most valuable renewable energy resources — wind.
As the organization continues to pursue this mission, it is evident that their efforts do not occur in isolation. Their work to create the supply chain, ports, vessels, policies, funding mechanisms, and more to support offshore wind in the U.S. is part of a larger mosaic of ocean-based renewable energy technologies.
Globally, research to derive clean energy from the ocean’s tides and waves is ongoing, as are studies on how our country can capitalize on other resources and technologies, such as green hydrogen and ocean-based floating solar farms. Each of these are inextricably linked to offshore wind. And many of their member companies are working every day to find solutions and pathways to bring these new sectors to life.
Generating power from offshore wind, and all the work that has gone into building this industry, is aligned with the needs and long-term goals of other ocean renewables. They are all pieces of a broader interconnected effort to draw power from the sea.
That’s why they’ve changed their name to Oceantic Network. The new name honors the earth’s oceans. It celebrates that dynamic natural force that is a source of enormous clean, renewable power and connects all that they do. It reflects a shift in focus to ensuring we realize the full renewable energy potential of our oceans.
Under this new name, Oceantic Network will:
- Continue to host the world-renowned International Partnering Forum (IPF)
- Continue to build the offshore wind supply chain
- Strive to inspire the world to tap the full range of ocean-based sources of renewable power.
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As a non-profit organization, the Oceantic Network’s driving purpose is to inform, coordinate, and mobilize human ingenuity, enterprise, and labor to take advantage of the urgent need to tap the vast offshore wind and renewable energy resources that lie in the world’s oceans. The collective, coordinated efforts of our 600+ members equip communities and nations to accelerate the transition to clean energy and create economic opportunities.
