July 26, 2018 — Virginia’s foray into offshore wind power got a lift Wednesday when Gov. Ralph Northam announced international energy consultant BVG Associates was hired to leverage the state as a coastal leader for the industry.
And BVG’s Advisory Director Andy Geissbuehler wasted no time in getting to work.
At a public listening session held in the Gaines Theatre at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Geissbuehler said his goal is to see Virginia play “a substantial role in the offshore wind industry on the East Coast, and is going to go further.”
And, while the U.S. has lagged many European nations for years in commercial offshore wind energy, it likely won’t take long to catch up.
“Everyone knows the U.S. will be a massive offshore wind market, and the U.S. will be very fast in picking up and catching up with some of the current market leaders, and will probably develop to one of the No. 1 markets globally,” Giessbuehler said.
The listening session was part of a series to let the public weigh in on Northam’s 2018 Virginia Energy Plan. Wednesday’s was the only session to focus on offshore wind power and to be held in Hampton Roads.