Offshore Wind Workers Are Uncertain About The Industry’s Future – CleanTechnica

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Offshore wind workers are caught in the middle of a political whirlwind. President Donald J. Trump’s pummeling on the offshore wind industry could undermine millions of dollars that have been invested to construct docks, terminals, and training programs. The uncertain status of the industry has offshore wind workers quite concerned.

What Trump fails to note is that the wind power construction and maintenance has revitalized struggling port cities, and blue collar workers have been the crux of his political base. Whoops.

Trump doesn’t like wind turbines, saying, “Windmills? We’re just not going to allow them. They’re ugly. They don’t work. They kill your birds. They’re bad for the environment.”

In September the US Transportation Department pushed the administration’s anti-wind agenda, saying it was terminating or withdrawing $679 million in federal funding for 12 projects around the country intended to support the development of offshore wind power.

“Wasteful wind projects are using resources that could otherwise go towards revitalizing America’s maritime industry,” US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy claimed — not realizing, it seems, the connection between maritime community vitality and offshore wind.

Danish energy company Orsted and its joint venture partner Skyborn Renewables sought a preliminary injunction in US District Court in Washington, DC that would allow them to move forward with the project, and in late September a federal judge ruled that work on the 80% completed Revolution Wind project for Rhode Island and Connecticut could resume.

In his ruling, Judge Royce Lamberth said he considered how Revolution Wind relied on federal approval to proceed, and daily delays were costing the company $2.3 million. Moreover, he noted, the project depended on a specialized ship to complete the project, which wouldn’t be available after December 2025 and again until at least 2028.

Importantly, Judge Lamberth reminded the Trump administration that more than 1,000 offshore wind workers were employed by the Revolution Wind project. “There is no question in my mind of irreparable harm to the plaintiffs,” Lamberth said as he granted the motion for the preliminary injunction.

An Inexperienced Offshore Wind Workforce Stymies the Industry

With the backdrop of offshore wind work stoppages, an underreported story is how an inexperienced workforce continues to be a barrier to the wind energy industry. Overall difficulty finding and hiring employees that are qualified for entry- and non-entry level positions at wind energy firms remains high.

Trump administration fascination with fossil fuels isn’t helping to attract offshore wind workers, either, and it’s a career which is anticipated to increase steadily through 2050. The 2030 demand of 134,000 workers or the 2050 demand of 258,500 workers are not likely to be met.

For a robust industry, a mixture of more workers, enhanced program development, and increased relevant offshore wind workers’ experience and training will be needed. Researchers say that collaboration among wind workforce development stakeholders to increase awareness of industry jobs, effectively develop opportunities to gain experience such as internships and apprenticeships, and reduce barriers of entry into the wind industry are vital steps in ensuring that there is an adequate and properly trained wind workforce.

Case Study: New England Waterfront Renaissance or Another Dream Deferred?

The waterfront of New England’s premier fishing port isn’t anywhere as robust as it once was. Good-paying jobs in the fishing fleet and associated seafood processing are a fading memory for blue-collar workers in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

But a new career has drawn the interest of workers there: the position of millwright, connecting massive blades and tower sections for wind farms. An exposé in the Boston Globe chronicled the stories of workers and how offshore wind has offered a new source of jobs and investment for the city and Southeastern Massachusetts.

The arrival of offshore wind farm construction is a remarkable economic stimulus for New Bedford — it’s one of the poorest cities in Massachusetts with a 6.6% unemployment rate and a household median income that is 45% less than the state median.

The cushion of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity are not the only areas at risk with the Trump administration’s war on wind. New Bedford has the vision of a modern, growing maritime economy for a community whose history and identity are intertwined with the sea. Offshore wind has been a key component of New Bedford’s economic strategy for more than a decade. In 2013, the state invested about $110 million to redevelop a vacant site along the working waterfront into the marine terminal complex, fueling the city’s ambitions to become the epicenter of this new industry.

Since 2023, Vineyard Wind has pre-assembled and transported turbine parts from New Bedford’s Marine Commerce Terminal, a 29-acre complex of cranes, warehouses, and staging areas operated by the quasi-public Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Wages on the project can range from $30 to $60 an hour depending on type and seniority, according to union officials.

The $4 billion Vineyard Wind project is about 30% complete and is already estimated to have supported more than 3,400 jobs. Projections indicate that nearly $800 million in economic output will be generated for the state and local area. Around 70% of the jobs created during the construction of Vineyard Wind went to workers in New Bedford and nearby communities.

Offshore wind has economic trickle effects. Wind projects are attracting hundreds of workers from around the globe and filling hotel rooms. Environmentalists celebrate the renewable energy emphasis, which creates a healthier climate for residents.

For now, the work continues. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell says the city is optimistic that offshore wind industry will recover from the Trump administration’s efforts to gut it. As it captures growing energy demand, creates jobs, and feeds an electricity-hungry economy, offshore wind workers are also holding out hope that the industry will overcome temporary policy shifts and continue to revitalize New Bedford.

Final Thoughts

Every time Trump points his scepter at the industry, offshore wind workers caught in the midst of the turmoil have no recourse except to wait and churn.

In Boston this week, Judge William G. Young concluded, “I fear President Trump believes the American people are so divided that today they will not stand up, fight for, and defend our most precious constitutional values so long as they are lulled into thinking their own personal interests are not affected. Is he correct?”

Who will speak out for offshore wind workers and an industry that is helping to fight the climate crisis?

The Boston Globe has offered a map of the status of the several offshore projects that were slated to power millions of homes in southern New England but have been stalled.