The Atlantic coast has great opportunity for the energy sector and governors across the northeast are aware of it. They need this power source to meet their states’ clean energy goals and are now in stark competition to establish the land-based businesses that will supply the offshore wind industry and bring tens of thousands of jobs to the region.

Thruster manufacturer SCHOTTEL has reached a mutual agreement with Norfolk-based Lyon Shipyard to position both companies for the launch of the U.S. offshore wind industry. Wind turbine installation vessels and service operation vessels are all built with azimuth drives, and these units will need periodic service and maintenance - a Lyon specialty.

With an offshore wind turbine complex under construction, the state has set up a unique training school for future technicians, who are learning their trade in an old mill town in need of revitalization.

In 1947, the world's first real offshore oil well entered service off the coast of Louisiana. Seven decades later, America's offshore energy industry is on the verge of another new opportunity. The leases have been purchased. The oil majors have committed billions of dollars. American shipbuilders hold firm orders for the first support vessels, and the first steel jackets should go in the water in about two years. This time, though, there won't be any drilling – the money is in the wind.

In January, New College Institute became the first site in Virginia to offer wind technician training courses, certified by the Global Wind Organisation, a Danish nonprofit that sets international minimum standards for safety and technical training for wind turbine workers. Following a successful audit, the school is set to receive certification, says Karen Jackson, NCI’s interim executive director.

Atlantic Wind Transfers’ new crew transfer vessel, Atlantic Endeavor, has begun working at the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. At the CVOW project, Atlantic Endeavor is providing marine support services for the two Siemens Gamesa turbines.

The Hampton Roads Alliance has partnered with Xodus Group and BW Research to conduct a major offshore wind supply chain study for the Hampton Roads area in Virginia. The project will be used to build out the US offshore wind industry in Hampton Roads and identify key opportunities for economic expansion.