More than 60 stakeholders representing a broad spectrum of the industry participated in the Connecticut Wind Collaborative’s Northeast Offshore Wind Supply Chain Summit in January in support of the Collaborative’s groundbreaking study of regional collaboration and growth opportunities across the Northeast.

Kristin Urbach, Connecticut Wind Collaborative Executive Director, initiated the summit and led this engaging effort with representatives of The Pew Charitable Trusts and Xodus, who have teamed with the Collaborative to produce the Connecticut Offshore Wind Industry Study.

“I’m excited to work with the talented teams at The Pew Charitable Trusts and Xodus to provide a gold-standard study that other states and regions can use as a model in developing their own assessments of their needs and opportunities,” Kristin said.

Commissioned by the Connecticut Wind Collaborative in the spirit of collaboration and communication across the region, this study will build upon the Connecticut Offshore Wind Strategic Roadmap by identifying and expanding supply chain opportunities for Connecticut, New England, New York, and New Jersey. The resulting data will guide strategic, actionable recommendations for Connecticut and its neighbors in the Northeast.

This convening of stakeholders in business, policy, and research was held at Ocean Beach Park’s Port ’N Starboard Ocean Front Banquet Center in New London, overlooking the Thames River where wind turbines for the nation’s first commercial-scale wind farms are being staged and assembled at Connecticut’s State Pier.

Attendees engaged with one another in focus groups to discuss how to expand opportunities in three broad areas: Ports & Vessels, Supply Chain, Workforce Development.

New London Mayor Michael Passero welcomed the crowd and spoke of his excitement about the industry and opportunities for the city and region based on what he witnessed while participating last year in a Collaborative-sponsored tour of offshore wind facilities in the UK.

Paul Lavoie, Chairman of the Connecticut Wind Collaborative Board of Directors and Connecticut’s Chief Manufacturing Officer, spoke about the need to pursue domestic sustainable energy sources to meet the growing demand for energy by business and industry.

Experts at The Pew Charitable Trusts and Xodus will work with the CWC to incorporate input from the focus groups and their own research into the supply chain study, which is scheduled for release this spring.