Offshore Wind – Four Themes at IPF 2026

The mood at Oceantic Network’s 2026 International Partnering Forum (IPF) was not what you might expect from an industry under siege. The past year has seen the pipeline of offshore wind projects virtually disappear as the Trump Administration has attempted to revoke project permits, stop project construction, and end offshore wind energy lease sales. 

And yet the tone at IPF was strikingly hopeful. States and offshore wind developers have won a series of lawsuits against the Trump Administration, overturning the executive memorandum pausing offshore wind leasing permitting, and winning temporary injunctions against the Department of the Interior’s orders halting construction of in-progress offshore wind projects. Tim Houston, the Premier of Nova Scotia, shared his vision for building enough offshore wind to meet a quarter of Canada’s electricity needs and export power to the US. And developers shared data demonstrating the project’s impressive availability and reliability, especially during a recent winter storm. 

During my time at the weeklong conference, which brings together major offshore wind players in state government, industry and suppliers, and nonprofit advocates, I noticed four major themes: 

States are playing the long game and shifting their approach 

States presented multiple pathways for making offshore wind development simpler, faster, and cheaper in future rounds of development. Despite the federal policy setbacks to offshore wind, including the repeal of clean energy tax credits, several states reaffirmed their commitment to offshore wind and announced steps toward promoting long-term offshore wind development. 

New York State, in particular, was eager to assure those in attendance that it is applying lessons from previous setbacks and successes to streamline its development process going forward. In its opening remarks, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced a pre-development Request for Information, asking industry stakeholders to share actions the state can take now to prepare for future offshore wind development (responses are due by March 24th). In a later session, speakers from the Port of Long Beach and Humboldt Bay Harbor District highlighted California’s strong commitment to offshore wind development and improving port infrastructure, including the California Energy Commission’s $20 million investment in Pier Wind. 

The future is collaborative 

As states presented innovative approaches to improving the development process, they made clear that state collaboration—in power procurement, transmission planning, and supply chain development—is essential. Multiple speakers acknowledged that in the past, state competition for the workforce and economic benefits of offshore wind projects may have been counterproductive. Not every state will get every job, factory, or port, but by aligning project schedules, jointly procuring vital components such as vessels and power cables, and sharing port and workforce training infrastructure, states can work together to create an attractive environment for offshore wind development. 

State collaboration on transmission planning was a particularly prominent theme at the conference. Requiring every offshore wind project to plan, permit, and construct its own transmission infrastructure is costly, inefficient, and impractical. Over multiple sessions, states shared the work they are doing to coordinate transmission improvements that could facilitate the interconnection of multiple offshore wind projects. The Northeast States Collaborative, an effort by New England and Mid-Atlantic states, shared results from studies investigating the best configurations for future transmission infrastructure, and states also discussed efforts to standardize transmission equipment to make future offshore wind projects interoperable. 

Offshore wind is more than just clean energy 

Offshore wind is an emissions-free and renewable generation source, but conference speakers were keen to highlight additional benefits, such as grid reliability and domestic energy production. In a presentation to conference attendees, Ørsted shared statistics from their South Fork Wind project, the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm. During 2025, South Fork boasted an impressive 46.3% capacity factor and near perfect availability, generating electricity on 99% of all days and 90% of all hours of the year. The project’s capacity factor was even higher—51.6%—during January 2026, when the Northeast experienced the longest cold snap in recent memory. In her opening remarks, Oceantic Network President Liz Burdock shared that the nearly complete Vineyard Wind, off the coast of Massachusetts, also performed well during the storm. 

Other sessions highlighted offshore wind’s contribution to resource adequacy and national security. As data centers and electrification drive up load forecasts, offshore wind is very well positioned to help meet that demand with home-grown energy. Beyond energy production, offshore wind supports industries important to America’s national security, such as steelmaking and shipbuilding. Walking around the conference floor, it was clear that the economic and energy benefits of offshore wind extended far beyond the power grid, supporting businesses in dozens of maritime and industrial sectors. 

The world is forging ahead 

Observers of the global offshore wind market know that although project development in the US has slowed, development around the world is only accelerating. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston capped off the conference with a presentation of his province’s plans to build up to 15 GW of offshore wind off the Canadian coast.  Houston lauded Canada’s friendly and stable investment environment, and he celebrated Nova Scotia’s recent Memorandum of Understanding with Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey to coordinate on regional port and workforce development, transmission, and policy. Called Wind West, Nova Scotia’s planned offshore wind developments could provide power, workforce, and economic opportunities to the Northeastern US, in addition to Canada, building on other international collaborations in Northern Europe.