Offshore wind in the United States has the potential to play a critical role in transitioning the nation to a clean energy future while improving the power system’s reliability and resilience, as well as providing economic opportunities and American jobs. The Atlantic states are part of a growing number of states with clean energy policies and procurement activities that are driving a total project pipeline exceeding 40 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind (OSW). The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is working to support the efforts.

Use the slider below to view the recommended development over 20 years.

Stakeholder Convenings: In support of the Building a Better Grid Initiative to expand and strengthen the electric transmission grid across the nation, DOE and BOEM convened decisionmakers and senior leadership from federal agencies, Tribal Nations, state public utility commissions, state energy offices, state environmental and natural resource agencies, ISO/RTOs, electric reliability organizations, consumer advocates, and current BOEM leaseholders to provide insight on collaborative solutions for near-, medium-, and long-term OSW transmission challenges.

In June 2022, a public stakeholder convening workshop was held to solicit broader public input and in March 2023, a final public stakeholder convening workshop was held to discuss the agencies’ findings following the convening workshop series focused on the Atlantic Coast from Maine to South Carolina, preview the preliminary results from the Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Study, and provide opportunities for public comment.

Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Study: The Wind Energy Technologies Office at DOE is leading a two-year Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Study (AOSWTS). Conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the AOSWTS will evaluate multiple pathways to OSW goals through coordinated transmission solutions along the Atlantic Coast in the near-term (2030) and long-term (2050), under various generation mix and load futures. Resulting topologies and datasets will illuminate benefits and shortcomings in terms of production costs, system reliability, and resilience of specific transmission infrastructure concepts. These contributions will fill research gaps, support timely and informed recommendations on OSW transmission strategies for the convening workshops, and offer feasible solutions that may benefit stakeholders in their planning processes.

Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Action Plan: On September 19, 2023, DOE published an Action Plan for Offshore Wind Transmission Development in the U.S. Atlantic Region, a set of bold actions developed in partnership with BOEM. The outputs of the convening workshops and the AOSWTS have informed DOE and BOEM’s development of a set of OSW transmission-focused recommendations and associated time-bound, regionally-specific action plans for enabling solutions, starting with the Atlantic Coast.  

For more information, visit Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Action Plan. 

For additional questions, contact the team at OSWtransmission@hq.doe.gov. To learn more about GDO’s funding and financing programs made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, see the Grid and Transmission Program Conductor.