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Floating wind companies, researchers and policymakers continue to share expertise across Europe and North America despite high costs, infrastructure needs and political setbacks in the United States. A Canary Media report describes ongoing research and commercial links, but says the scale and timing of future projects remain uncertain.
Floating offshore wind researchers and companies are continuing to share expertise and pursue commercial work across Europe and North America, even as high costs, unresolved technical needs and political uncertainty slow projects. A Canary Media report describes partnerships that remain active despite funding constraints for some U.S. researchers and a pullback in federal support for offshore wind development.
The collaboration follows a federal push launched in 2022, when the Biden administration set a goal of cutting floating wind’s electricity costs by 70 percent. The effort, called the Floating WindShot, funded research, stakeholder meetings and infrastructure such as ports. Research awards went to the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center and subsidiaries of European floating-platform companies, according to the report.
Liz Klein, who led the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management during the final two years of the Biden administration, said international learning was part of the effort. “The learning that happens all over the world is something that the United States was taking and learning from, and those were really important partnerships,” she said. By the end of that administration, BOEM had auctioned commercial-scale floating wind lease sites in parts of the Gulf of Maine and off California, the report said.
Those ambitions face substantial barriers. The report, citing Lazard and Department of Energy data, says floating wind’s levelized cost of electricity was about twice that of fixed-bottom wind when the WindShot was announced, as much as three times the cost of a combined-cycle gas plant, and roughly comparable to new nuclear power. BloombergNEF analyst Harrison Sholler also pointed to technical challenges in dynamic power cables and offshore substations. Ports, supply chains and transmission lines add further costs.
Partnerships Persist as Projects Slow
For a technology that is still working to lower costs and resolve engineering challenges, shared research and cross-border commercial work can help companies and institutions carry knowledge between markets. The report describes U.S. expertise reaching European projects even as domestic conditions have become less supportive. That matters because floating turbines can be used in deeper waters where fixed-bottom structures are not suitable, though the source does not quantify how much near-term generation these projects could provide.
International collaboration does not remove the need for costly local infrastructure or stable project rules. If ports, grid connections and permitting are delayed, technology partnerships alone cannot bring projects into operation. The report’s account points to an industry trying to preserve capability and relationships while the pace of deployment remains uncertain.
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From WindShot to Policy Reversals
The Floating WindShot was one of eight federal “energy earthshots,” modeled on the earlier SunShot effort to reduce solar costs. Its supports included research prizes and port-related investment. The effort reflected an expectation that floating wind could benefit from learning and scale, but the report notes that the technology’s costs were being compared with more mature energy options.
More recently, inflation and policy shifts have contributed to delayed auctions and permits in Europe and Asia, according to the report. In the United States, the Trump administration moved to halt five offshore wind projects under construction, citing national security concerns; courts rejected those actions, but developers incurred delay costs. The administration has also curtailed further offshore leasing, bought back some existing leases and cancelled Biden-era grants for wind-port construction. Several states have sued over lease buyback agreements. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said companies were shifting investment toward “dependable, secure energy infrastructure,” while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described wind projects as “fantasy” projects. Those are administration arguments, not independent findings about the projects’ value.
Against that backdrop, the report identifies Canada as a growing North American focus. Nova Scotia launched a solicitation for 5 gigawatts of offshore wind, including areas suitable for floating wind. The University of Maine center has reduced some wind staff but continues to sign contracts for component testing, while its spin-off DeepCWind is pursuing contracts connected to planned European projects, according to people cited by Canary Media.
Funding and Project Timelines Remain Unclear
The report does not establish when U.S. offshore leasing or cancelled port grants might resume, or whether affected developers and research groups will secure replacement funding. It also does not give a schedule for the European contracts being pursued by DeepCWind or specify which projects may use its components. Sholler’s assessment that investors see political risk does not establish whether companies will permanently leave the U.S. market.
The cost-reduction goal remains a target, not a reported result. The source provides no updated cost figure showing how far floating wind has moved toward the 70 percent reduction goal. Project economics, permitting outcomes and the resolution of lawsuits remain developing issues.
Watch for Contracts and Lease Decisions
Near-term signs of progress will include whether DeepCWind wins supply contracts for European projects, whether the University of Maine center continues component testing, and how Nova Scotia advances its offshore wind solicitation. In the United States, states’ lawsuits over lease agreements and any changes to federal leasing or port support could shape whether developers return to proposed sites.
Further project awards, funding decisions and technical demonstrations should clarify whether international collaboration can sustain research and commercial capacity while deployment is delayed. The source material does not provide dates for those decisions, so the timing remains uncertain.
Key Questions
What is the main development in floating wind?
International research and commercial ties are continuing across Europe and North America despite market and policy setbacks, according to the Canary Media report.
What is the Floating WindShot?
It was a U.S. federal initiative announced in 2022 with a goal of reducing floating wind electricity costs by 70 percent. It funded research, stakeholder meetings and infrastructure-related work.
Why are floating wind projects facing delays?
The report cites high costs, technical needs such as dynamic power cables and offshore substations, and the expense of ports, supply chains and transmission. Policy shifts and inflation have also contributed to delays.
Is floating wind development continuing in North America?
Some work continues. Nova Scotia launched a solicitation for 5 gigawatts of offshore wind that includes areas suitable for floating projects, and the University of Maine center continues component testing. The report does not provide a construction schedule for those efforts.
Will U.S. offshore wind investment return?
That remains uncertain. The report says federal policy has made the market appear politically risky to some financiers and developers, but it does not establish whether or when companies will renew investment.
Source: rss
