The recent State of the Port address centered around one central theme - growth. Many successes were discussed at the Port’s annual luncheon, like median incomes rising over 11%, overall jobs increasing by 10% and an increase in overall shipping.

Wind energy is slated to become Hampton Roads’ biggest new industry. By 2026, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Farm is expected to be the largest offshore wind farm in the United States. The new industry needs a workforce. And the time to focus on attracting that workforce is now, according to leaders.

North Carolina could be a major player in the offshore wind industry. Studies, state officials, private businesses and environmental groups all agree that the industry has the potential to bring several gigawatts of renewable energy, billions of dollars and hundreds of jobs to the state.

Against the backdrop of new energy pressure from Russia, U.S., and European officials and company executives meeting last month in Atlantic City, N.J., at a leading business conference on offshore wind energy touted its potential to propel transition from fossil fuel dependence. But they acknowledged still nagging market uncertainties and need for government support to meet lofty deployment targets for this decade and beyond.

A drumbeat of floating offshore wind–related developments this year suggests the pipeline for the long-nascent wind technology sub-sector may be finally beginning to grow. While floating wind’s current contribution of total wind installations is only 0.1%, recent developments suggest floating offshore wind is slated to expand to 16.5 GW by 2030, accounting for 6.1% of global wind installations, said the Global Wind Energy Council.

With efforts accelerating to develop offshore wind farms, there remain many unresolved questions on the scope of U.S. cabotage laws and how specifically the Jones Act will be applied to the construction of the wind farms.