MARYLAND DELEGATION TRAVELS TO EUROPE TO PROMOTE OFFSHORE WIND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Baltimore, Maryland (November 13, 2013)—Today, a prominent group of business and government leaders, led by The Business Network for Maryland Offshore Wind (BizMDOSW), announced their participation on a ten day study and business development tour to Denmark and Germany entitled, “Export Now to Build for Tomorrow.”The educational tour will assist Maryland businesses to export products and services for the growing European wind energy industry and gain critical institutional knowledge for the burgeoning North American offshore wind industry. The coinciding public-private sector delegation led by Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) Director Abigail Ross Hopper and Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Secretary Dominick Murray will meet with top Danish and German governmental officials and offshore wind businesses in order to assist Maryland businesses’ entry into the offshore wind global supply chain. After the tour’s completion, the State of Maryland will be working under a formal collaboration agreement with the Danish government to learn best practices for the construction and development of Maryland’s offshore wind industry.
“We want to both improve our understanding of the European wind industry and create the business opportunities for Maryland businesses to provide goods and services to the world’s offshore industry. We hope this effort will assist Maryland’s policy leaders as we move to construct our wind farm and prepare our businesses to be able to supply components to Maryland’s wind farm as well as other winds farms along the East Coast and the growing global offshore wind market,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, MEA Director.
“With a growing multi-billion dollar national and international offshore wind industry market, the demand for additional supply chain vendors is growing,” said Liz Burdock, Executive Director of BizMDOSW. “Europe has a robust offshore renewable energy industry; it has very specific and successful processes, procedures and requirements for suppliers in that industry. By bringing Maryland businesses to Europe to see firsthand how the industry works, and to meet and talk with the established players, the educational gap will begin to be filled. Maryland businesses will then understand the requirements for manufacturing and exporting components realizing near term economic profits and later selling those products and services to construct our wind farm in Maryland.”
The tour includes more than nine businesses, four higher education institutions, the Maryland Port Administration and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. Participants will meet with prominent offshore wind companies in Lindø, Denmark and Bremerhaven, Germany. They will tour the Anholt offshore wind park, attend the European Wind Energy Association Conference and attend a special briefing at the American Consulate General in Frankfurt on German offshore wind market opportunities. The tour will also emphasize workforce development and training requirements in an effort to prepare Maryland’s residents to enter this new industry. “Humanim is participating in this tour as the lead workforce provider. Our goal is to understand market opportunities within the industry to increase career options for Maryland residents with barriers to employment,” said Cindy Truitt, Chief Development Officer and study tour participant.
“I am excited to be a part of this trade delegation to promote Maryland businesses to the European off shore wind industry. I am convinced this could help create both short and long term new business opportunities for those companies that are involved in the Business Network for Maryland Offshore Wind,” said Don Hairston, study tour participant and Vice President of Experimental Machine. Mr. Hairston is a tour participant.
For more information, please contact Liz Burdock, Executive Director of the Business Network for Maryland Offshore Wind at (202)403-7507 or Liz@bizmdosw.org.