Written by Marlene Orth, Owner & Principal Consultant, Bright Matter Renewables LLC
For large stretches of the U.S. coastline, especially the West Coast, floating offshore wind (FOW) is not merely an alternative to fixed-bottom offshore wind, but the only viable pathway to access high-quality, deep-water energy resources. Where continental shelves drop rapidly and water depths far exceed 60 meters, fixed offshore wind foundations become economically or technically unfeasible. Nevertheless, tapping into these wind resources is crucial for states trying to meet ambitious clean energy mandates.
Yet, despite the substantial potential for FOW off our coasts, the U.S. is stifling the essential transition to more FOW installations by allowing crippling costs and self-imposed logistical failures to jeopardize our leadership in the global clean energy race.
The urgency of deep-water offshore wind
The majority of our seabed exceeds 60 meters in depth, and is therefore only suitable for floating offshore wind foundations, see Figure 1.
FOW is critical because it unlocks waters deeper than 60 meters (though the exact threshold is subject to site-specific characteristics, the viability of deep bottom fixed technology, and a variety of other factors, and therefore subject to much debate), accessing stronger and more consistent wind speeds further offshore. This makes forecasting and generation more reliable, and floating wind therefore constitutes a more dependable and potentially more lucrative form of energy than most other renewables.
Globally, major industrial players, including PPI, Aker Solutions, BW Ideol, Equinor, ASA, and GE, are already demonstrating high confidence in this technology, driving market projections focused intensely on the 2025–2030 timeframe. This global momentum underscores that the time for hesitation is over and the future of large-scale renewable generation lies beyond the continental shelf.
The immediate opportunity for the U.S. is geographic destiny. In regions like the West coast, where fixed foundations are very challenging due to the rapidly deepening seabed, floating technology is essential for states trying to meet ambitious clean energy mandates. And the good news is that we have the technological foundations, including ongoing innovation in complex dynamic mooring systems, robust dynamic cables, and specialized operations and maintenance (O&M) protocols necessary for far-offshore sites. However, technology alone cannot help us move towards large-scale floating offshore wind deployment – there are currently two primary barriers currently preventing the U.S. from capitalizing on its deep-water potential: high capital expenditure and inadequate port infrastructure.
Removing Barrier 1: Addressing High CapEx Challenges Through Industrialization
The most significant constraint facing FOW adoption is high capital expenditure (CAPEX). This cost premium is directly tied to the industry’s lack of maturity, with current technology relying too heavily on bespoke, customized projects. This means that currently, the costs associated with developing, building, and deploying floating technology remain substantially higher than those of fixed-bottom installations, making floating offshore wind less competitive against more established energy sources.
Achieving drastic cost reduction requires an immediate transition toward industrialized manufacturing. This relies heavily on widespread standardization of platform design and interface specifications. Without standardization, the supply chain cannot scale up, mass production remains impossible, and costs will stay prohibitively high.
Furthermore, achieving technological maturity must focus on balancing complexity and weight. In floating offshore wind, the Rotor Nacelle Assembly (RNA) weight is a critical constraint because every kilogram added increases structural demands on the floater and mooring system, driving up cost. Standardization is the only path toward the economies of scale that will make FOW commercially viable and competitive.
Removing Barrier 2: Resolving the Deep-Water Infrastructure Deficit
Even if costs drop, at the moment the U.S. would fail in floating offshore wind deployment without massive and targeted investments in its logistics backbone. We face a critical challenge in scaling domestic FOW deployments because the foundational infrastructure network is missing.
Successfully executing FOW projects demands targeted and substantial investments in the supply chain, ports and other infrastructure upgrades capable of handling the fabrication, assembly, and deployment of these massive floating structures. Unlike fixed-bottom wind turbine components, which can often be handled by existing facilities, floating platforms require specialized deep-water access, heavy-lift capabilities, and large staging areas. This infrastructural lag risks ceding American leadership to global competitors who have already prioritized these essential upgrades.
Offshore wind, especially floating, is not a luxury, but a necessity for grid stability and energy supply. It allows for increasing our share of green energy and creating jobs while allowing private enterprise – our key national strength – to thrive and to reduce our reliance on both foreign energy and foreign supply chains.
The Two Pragmatic Levers of our National Strategy
We therefore need a sensible path forward for deploying floating offshore wind at a large scale, and to act now by:
1. Mandating Federal Investment: Allocate specific, substantial federal funding for the rapid modernization of fit-for-purpose ports necessary to support the fabrication and deployment of massive floating offshore wind platforms.
2. Incentivizing Industrialization: Use policy levers (such as tax incentives or procurement requirements) to drive industry standardization, accelerating the transition from bespoke engineering to cost-effective mass manufacturing.
These two pragmatic levers need to be combined with the following four strategic pillars for a holistic actionable framework.
A National Imperative: Four Steps to Unlock Deep-Water Wind
A national deep‑water wind strategy now sits on the fault line between climate ambition and energy security; floating offshore wind is no longer an option on the margins, but the only way to tap roughly two‑thirds of the US offshore wind resource that lies in waters too deep for fixed foundations. To treat it as anything less than a national imperative is to leave our best wind resources – off California, the Gulf of Maine, and the deeper reaches of the Atlantic – stranded just over the horizon.
1. Set clear, binding floating targets
The United States has articulated an initial goal of deploying 15 GW of floating offshore wind by 2035, signaling the scale of deep‑water opportunity in places like the Pacific and the Gulf of Maine. That target must be hardened into binding federal and multi‑state commitments, with synchronized procurement schedules and offtake frameworks that give developers, ports, and manufacturers the demand certainty needed to invest in platforms, moorings, and specialized vessels at scale.
2. Plan the grid for deep-water floating
Deep‑water projects will fail on paper long before they fail at sea if transmission planning continues to be piecemeal and radial. Federal and regional planners now have a blueprint for coordinated offshore transmission in the Atlantic, including backbone and meshed network concepts; that same rigor must be extended and adapted to floating wind provinces on both coasts so that interconnection does not become the binding constraint.
3. Build the industrial base
Floating wind requires an industrial build‑out that looks less like a niche renewable upgrade and more like a modern shipbuilding program. From anchor and mooring supply chains to deep‑draft, large‑component ports and high‑end fabrication yards, studies already flag major constraints that will become hard bottlenecks without deliberate federal and state investment, targeted tax incentives, and long‑term contracts that justify new yards, quaysides, and domestic component manufacturing.
4. Align ocean uses and communities
The same deep‑water areas that promise gigawatts of clean power also support valuable fisheries and other seabed users of coastal economies, especially in the Northeast and the Pacific. National leadership must hard‑wire coexistence and joint economic growth into floating wind from the outset, through science‑based siting tools, early and binding engagement with Tribes, fishing communities and other seabed users. This requires dedicated funds for research and monitoring, as well as compensatory programs, so that deep‑water wind strengthens, rather than destabilizes, the coastal communities that will host it.
Here’s how the two pragmatic points map onto the four strategic steps in one combined framework:
Conclusion
If we as a country choose not to take these steps, we are effectively choosing to walk away from the very wind resource that could anchor long‑term decarbonization, grid reliability, and coastal economic renewal in the mid‑century energy system.
FOW stands at a pivotal junction, offering unprecedented access to high-quality renewable resources necessary for meeting national energy transition goals and creating major economic and job benefits. It is an essential part of America’s energy independence strategy. By addressing the standardization challenge and committing substantial investment to our ports, we ensure that FOW becomes an indispensable pillar of America’s sustainable energy future, securing grid stability and fostering a domestic industrial renaissance built on the strength of American innovation.
About The Author:
Marlene Orth is the founder of Bright Matter Renewables LLC, a strategic consultancy supporting developers and utilities in offshore & onshore wind, solar and storage. With extensive experience in project management and business development, she helps clients navigate complex business cases, transmission planning, and market strategy. Prior to launching her U.S.-based practice, she spent nearly a decade in the UK’s advanced offshore wind sector, where she led complex projects, solving issues across route to market, grid integration and strategy for both fixed and floating designs. Known for her sharp strategic acumen and ability to build compelling, data-driven business cases, Marlene bridges global best practices with local execution. Her work empowers teams to build resilient, future-ready energy projects with clarity and confidence.
References & Further Reading:
NREL, 2022, “Offshore Wind Energy Technical Potential for the Contiguous United States” [Report] (Available at: https://docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy22osti/83650.pdf, last accessed on Dec 4, 2025)
BCG, 2025, “Offshore Wind Industry Updated” [Website] (Available at: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/offshore-wind-industry-update, last accessed on Dec 4, 2025)
Norton Rose Fulbright, 2025, “International offshore wind: Floating offshore wind” [Report] (Available at: https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en/knowledge/publications/292a783d/floating-offshore-wind, last accessed on Dec 4, 2025)
Wu et al, 2025, “Floating Offshore Wind Solutions for the U.S.: Leveraging European Experience from Floater and Mooring EPCI Perspective” [Paper presented at the Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, May 2025.] (Available at: https://onepetro.org/OTCONF/proceedings-abstract/25OTC/25OTC/D011S015R007/662780, last accessed on Dec 4, 2025)
Dagher et al, 2024, “Optimized Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Substructure Design Trends for 10–30MW Turbines in Low-, Medium-, and High-Severity Wave Environments” in Designs [Journal Article] (Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2411-9660/8/4/72/pdf?version=1721300617)