On September 19, 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of the Interior released “An Action Plan for Offshore Wind Transmission Development in the U.S. Atlantic Region.” [1] The DOE’s Grid Deployment and Wind Energy Technologies Offices and the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) developed the action plan and outlines immediate actions needed to connect Atlantic offshore wind projects to the electric grid. It also details longer-term efforts to support needed transmission over the next several decades.

The plan includes several key recommendations broken down by timelines. Prior to 2025, the plan calls for establishing collaborative bodies that span the Atlantic region and recommends clarifying some of the building blocks of transmission planning, including updating reliability standards and identifying where offshore transmission may interconnect with the onshore grid. It also seeks to address costs through voluntary cost assignments and tax credits. In the 2025 to 2030 timeframe, the plan recommends coordination with states to plan for an offshore transmission network and with industry to standardize requirements for HDVC technology. From 2030 to 2040, it calls for establishing a national HDVC testing and certification center to ensure compatibility when interconnecting multiple HVDC substations to form an offshore grid network. The DOE and multiple Atlantic states have started on the recommendations, forming an Offshore Wind Transmission State Collaborative.

[1] https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-releases-roadmap-accelerate-offshore-wind-transmission-and