By GREGORY ZELLER //
A new Long Island-based nonprofit organization is aiming to become an online hub for offshore wind-generated power – generated not just off the Island, but across Northeastern waters.
Dubbed OSW Supply Chain, the new nonprofit – scheduled to officially launch June 21 – will aggregate news articles and connect visitors with a multitude of stakeholders throughout the burgeoning offshore-wind industry.
Long Island, of course, is positioning itself as a central spoke in the nation’s wind-power wheel, and the Wantagh-based organization – under the guiding hand of Executive Director Phil Rugile – hopes to provide resources that bring that to fruition, while promoting the up-and-coming alternative-energy industry as a whole.
It’s an ambitious plan, according to Rugile, the longtime director of innovation at co-working space LaunchPad Huntington and executive director of the Plainview-based Composite Prototyping Center (d.b.a. the Institute for Workforce Advancement) – but high ambitions are in order now, Rugile notes, with “New York State … on track to become the largest producer of offshore wind in the nation.”
“Our goal is to be the premier regional informational and educational forum for suppliers to learn how they can participate in this fast-moving sector,” he said. “In partnership with our sponsors and strategic partners, OSW Supply Chain serves as a trusted resource to assist all stakeholders, including businesses and local communities, to better understand how to navigate these game-changing opportunities.”
Phil Rugile: Blowing in the wind.
Those partners include New England utility Eversource Energy and Danish multinational Ørsted, who are teaming up on three Northeast offshore-wind farms in various stages of development, including two off the Montauk coast: South Fork Wind and Sunrise Wind, with commercial operations slated to begin in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Also backing OSW Supply Chain are EnBW North America, a New Jersey- and Boston-based subsidiary of global alternative-energy developer EnBW International, and two key regional organizations: the Long Island Federation of Labor and Farmingdale State College’s Renewable Energy and Sustainability Center.
For starters, the offshore-wind fellowship is offering resources including a NYSERDA-based “geo-map” pinpointing wind-focused training, manufacturing and port operations throughout the Northeast, as well as contact information for apprenticeship programs, consulting services and others in offshore wind’s orbit.
The nonprofit will also advocate on behalf of offshore-wind interests with federal authorities and coastal-state governments, and connect interested parties with educational institutions and others sticking their toes in these promising waters.
Kenneth Bowes, Eversource Energy’s vice president for siting and permitting, noted the Massachusetts-based power provider is “proud to be a founding supporter” of the OSW Supply Chain, and predicted the forum “will help New York capture the tremendous economic benefits this emerging industry can provide.”
Damian Bednarz, EnBW North America’s external affairs director, said in a statement that the subsidiary was also “excited to support OSW Supply Chain and its early leadership.”
“Offshore wind will directly benefit our communities as a locally sourced supply chain takes hold and expands this opportunity across sectors,” Bednarz added, noting the new nonprofit will “provide local businesses and entrepreneurs the resources and tools to build a uniquely American offshore-wind industry.”
