The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) released An Action Plan for Offshore Wind Transmission Development in the U.S. Atlantic Region, a set of actions with the aim to catalyse offshore wind energy, strengthen the domestic supply chain, and create good-paying, union jobs.
The action plan developed by DOE’s Grid Deployment and Wind Energy Technologies Offices and DOI’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) outlines immediate actions needed to connect the first generation of Atlantic offshore wind projects onto the electric grid, and longer-term efforts to support needed transmission over the next several decades. The plan’s recommendations for Federal, state, and local governments, industry, and stakeholders include:
- Before 2025: Establish collaborative bodies that span the Atlantic Coast region; clarify some of the building blocks of transmission planning, including updating reliability standards and identifying where offshore transmission may interconnect with the onshore grid; and address costs through voluntary cost assignments and tax credits.
- From 2025 to 2030: Simultaneously convene and coordinate with states to plan for an offshore transmission network; with industry to standardize requirements for HVDC technology; and with federal agencies, tribal nations, state agencies, and stakeholders to identify and prioritize transmission paths on the outer continental shelf.
- From 2030 to 2040: Establish a national HVDC testing and certification center to ensure compatibility when interconnecting multiple HVDC substations to form an offshore grid network.
