The bottom line is we need to urgently pursue a series of actions and adopt policy that will position Virginia and Hampton Roads to win the economic benefits in the development of the offshore wind supply chain.

Yet there are still more questions than answers regarding which components will be made on U.S. soil, which companies will make them, and where. New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Rhode Island and Virginia are all vying for a central role in the offshore wind supply chain. “What are you seeing is a cluster emerging in the Northeast, and there will probably be a cluster emerging in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Thomas Brostrøm, president of North America for Orsted, the world’s leading offshore wind developer.

On May 28, a coalition of groups — ODU, the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and the ReInvent Hampton Roads — will host a forum about the future of offshore wind, featuring a panel discussion with many of the leaders working to transform those dreams into a tangible reality.

With a unanimous vote in support of developing offshore wind near Virginia’s coast, the city of Chesapeake took another step toward a better future, pledging its support for this practical type of renewable energy with real potential in this area. The cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission are among groups that have taken similar actions.

Chesapeake decided to support developing offshore wind near Virginia's coast, continuing the city's push for renewable energy.