Let Developers Lead: The Smarter Path Forward For Offshore Wind

I have worked across Europe, from mature to emerging offshore wind markets, wearing many hats: project developer, market builder, policy shaper. In some markets, we had to build the rules and the project simultaneously. And what I have learned is this: if you want offshore wind to succeed - you need to let those who develop lead – and listen to the local community.

This isn’t a plea for deregulation or a swipe at government. It’s about being honest with what works. And what works is speed, flexibility, and real-world engagement—something the entire offshore wind sector desperately needs right now.

Offshore Wind is a U.S. Renaissance Waiting to Happen

Let’s be clear - offshore wind isn’t just a climate tool. It’s an industrial renaissance waiting to happen.

It creates high-quality jobs, powers heavy industry, revives shipyards and ports, and strengthens energy independence. Done right, it’s a win for both sides of the political aisle:

· For progressives: clean energy and green jobs.

· For conservatives: private enterprise, national strength, and less reliance on foreign supply chains.

That’s the beauty of offshore wind—it can speak both languages. But to realize this, we need a new way of thinking.

Stop Over Planning. Start Listening - & Start Building

East Coast projects have struggled under a plan-led model—rigid, top-down, slow. Permitting delays, rising costs, and canceled projects have shown how fragile over-engineered systems can be. Europe has seen these problems too.

While the U.S. East Coast offers the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, Vineyard Wind, it took more than a decade to get there. Permitting delays, legal battles, and regulatory complexity dragged the project out far longer than it should have. It was a plan-led project from the start, shaped heavily by federal processes rather than developer initiative.

Vineyard Wind is a milestone - but also a warning. A cautionary success story. For every project like it, others have failed or stalled. Ørsted’s cancellation of Ocean Wind 1 and 2 in New Jersey sent shockwaves through the industry. Projects on paper don’t always become steel in the water. Far from it - Europe has faced the same.

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, California’s CADEMO project tells a different story. Just 60 MW - but light-years ahead in terms of process. Developer-led, community-engaged, union-connected. They didn’t wait for a perfect policy - they got to work.

The same goes for similar projects in Europe. I call them pathfinder projects. In my view, these pathfinder projects are quietly setting a smarter precedent. Developer-led from the beginning - because they move faster, engage earlier, and most importantly: they build local trust by working hand-in-hand with unions, regulators, and local communities. They prove that when developers are empowered - not micromanaged - - they can drive innovation and build momentum alongside key local stakeholders.

When Developers Lead and Collaborate With The Local Community, Things Happen:

· They move faster than bureaucracy.

· They adapt quickly to real-world conditions.

· They build trust early - before resistance forms.

· They help shape smarter regulation through action, not abstraction.

Early stakeholder engagement is key - and the mindset must be proactive, not reactive. And this isn’t just California dreaming. The global proof is already out there:

· In Scotland, Neart na Gaoithe built stakeholder trust early and shaved months off its timeline.

· In Australia, Ørsted is embedding its Gippsland wind farms into the local community strategy from day one.

· In Denmark, the Thor project didn’t just tick boxes—it listened. RWE invited public feedback before anything was final. That engagement shifted infrastructure plans and brought communities on board.

These aren’t buzzwords. They’re the difference between headlines and steel in the water.

Conclusion

If we want offshore wind to succeed in the U.S. - politically, economically, and socially - a developer-led process is needed. We need to build trust, momentum, and ownership.

CADEMO should be seen as a blueprint, not an exception in the US. It may be small in size, but it’s massive in meaning. It proves that when developers lead - and when communities are part of the journey - offshore wind can not only survive in tough markets, it can thrive.

Doing it right means listening before building, engaging before imposing, and acting before over planning. It means recognizing that developer-led models, guided by real-world experience and grounded in local relationships, can outperform rigid, plan-led ones - whether in California, Denmark, Scotland, or Australia.

This moment is too important to be trapped in slow-moving frameworks or even “stopped” entirely in the US. Offshore wind can be the superpower of energy - but only if we unleash those ready to build and let them lead.

Done right, and sold right, the U.S. has the potential to become the North Star of offshore wind globally.