Momentum is building behind the US offshore wind farm shipping industry, but questions remain over when new projects will get the green light.
Naval architect AK Suda, of Louisiana, is pushing ahead with a new wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) design and will be keeping an eye on November's presidential election.
"Democratic candidate Joe Biden has promised that if elected, he would spend $2trn on clean energy over a period of four years," AK Suda president Ajay Suda told TradeWinds.
"It’s a great idea, but doesn’t necessarily guarantee that a dedicated WTIV will be built for the US market."
Suda added: "The Trump administration, or at least Trump himself, seems to be against offshore wind, but we are not aware of anything they have done or said publicly that would indicate they are trying to stop the progression of offshore wind farms."
The potential for the sector is huge, if projects can move from the planning stage to construction, the company believes.
"More and more, governments of the individual US states are pledging to implement alternative energies, including offshore wind, as part of their main energy sources," Suda explained.
"There is a state-wide competition to be the biggest and first."
Many leases have been issued by the federal government for offshore wind sites, Suda said.
Red tape slowing development
But "bureaucratic" regulations imposed by individual federal government agencies are slowing down the process, he added.
The first major offshore wind farm in the US, under development by Vineyard Wind in the state of Massachusetts, was supposed to be operational by 2022.
But the company announced earlier this year that they would not be able to meet that date.
"Seeing the need for greener energy sources, many are trying to find a way to speed up this approval process, without compromising safety and environmental quality," Suda said.
"Thus, we feel certain that it will happen. The question is how soon."
The proposed wind farms would all be on the east coast of the US.
Suda said he is aware of about 15 active leases slated for development in that area that can provide up to 25 GW of power. This is up from 19 GW just a year ago.
