Opportunity was the word of the week as the Connecticut Wind Collaborative delegation embarked on a whirlwind tour of offshore wind facilities in the United Kingdom in September.

The tour was coordinated by Connecticut Wind Collaborative Executive Director Kristin Urbach and Board member Tony Appleton, a native of the UK and Offshore Wind Director at Burns & McDonnell, a global engineering and construction firm. The delegation included Board Chair Paul Lavoie, who is Connecticut’s Chief Manufacturing Officer, New London Mayor Michael Passero, and Alexandra Legnos Halvordson, Director of Business Development for ThayerMahan Offshore of Groton.

The delegation visited facilities in Blyth, Hull, Tyne, Newcastle, Grimsby, Hartlepool, and Wallsend. They met with 75 leaders in manufacturing, training, research, and government agencies to develop relationships and apply their experience to this new U.S. industry.

While the UK has a 20-year lead in offshore wind on most nations, many other countries are now fully invested in this source of clean, sustainable energy. The worldwide demand for turbines,  technology, the parts required – and workers – is vast.

This global demand was one of several key takeaways. Another was the demand for training and education – something we were pleased to hear that we could provide to the UK and others! Programs like the offshore wind career pathway training system for youth and adults that Kristin launched several years ago in Rhode Island and is a model for other states.

“We thought the information flow would be only one way on this tour, but as the week went on we found ourselves sharing information that our experienced counterparts found useful,” Kristin said. “Our hosts were welcoming and suggested the relationships we were creating should extend to collaboration to share best practices through a “twin cities” concept across the Atlantic.”

Mayor Passero sees opportunities for New London and the state to expand maritime infrastructure. His experience as one of the leaders who crafted agreements for offshore wind global leader Ørsted to rebuild New London’s State Pier into a modern maritime terminal and offshore wind assembly facility, provided a special perspective. “If we had room to build three more State Piers, they’d all be busy,” he said.

Paul sees opportunities to expand our capabilities in submarine, jet engine, and helicopter manufacturing into offshore wind. With offshore wind industry demand for everything from workers to equipment and services far outpacing supply, Lavoie envisions the U.S. as a global leader in the supply chain with Connecticut in a leading role. “Why not Connecticut,” he asked.

Tony has the unique perspective of being deeply involved with the industry on both sides of the Atlantic. He notes that the process of building and installing turbines represents just the early phase of the wind industry. He sees opportunity in the 30 to 40-year lifespan of a turbine, which requires operations and maintenance equipment, parts, services, and crews – “a constant stream of jobs and revenue.”

Alexandra sees opportunity in the bigger picture – in revitalizing cities and towns. “You could see that towns were reenergized,” she said. “There was an energy that came from direct and indirect jobs supporting growth and new business.”

There are 130 job categories in offshore wind, representing all levels of skill in manufacturing, services, administrative support, and more. The opportunities are enormous. The Connecticut Wind Collaborative is working to turn those opportunities into reality for families across the region.