JOHN O’KEEFFE, director of U.S. marine affairs for Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind, was named The Propeller Club of Narragansett Bay’s Maritime Person of the Year during the club’s annual National Maritime Day celebration in late May. O’Keeffe was selected for promoting the country’s maritime industry and offshore wind. He worked for multiple organizations prior to joining the offshore-wind industry in 2016. Among them were the Sea Education Association in Falmouth, Mass., and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.
What drew you to developing a love for the sea? It started at a very young age for me. I attended a Tall Ships event in Boston and fell in love with the amazing sailing ships. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough in my career to sail the world’s oceans and witness firsthand the beauty of our planet. The power of the ocean is an incredible force, and the struggle to adapt to that challenge is what really kept me at sea for so long.
What is your role with Orsted? I started with Deepwater Wind LLC during construction of the Block Island Wind Farm. My roles with Deepwater, including operations and maintenance manager, included engaging in dialogue with different stakeholder groups. Now, as director of marine affairs, I get to work with all marine and maritime stakeholders across our U.S. portfolio. I work on policy, procedures and stakeholder engagement on everything from market development to construction and operations.
Offshore wind is really starting to grow in the Northeast. Where do you see the industry within the next decade? What’s happening here in the U.S. offshore-wind industry is truly exciting. We have seen incredible growth in the last couple of years as states continue to make offshore wind a big part of the renewable energy transition away from fossil fuels. In the next decade, we will see lots of construction activity to meet the goals of current projects, and I believe the industry will continue to grow exponentially. States should continue to really drive the demand for offshore wind, but we may also see other drivers, such as corporate demand for offshore wind.
What will be needed for offshore wind to continue to expand? Individual state demand is a huge driver for the growth that we have seen in the past few years, and that will need to continue. The U.S. will also need further development of a supply chain that can meet the needs of the growing industry. U.S.-flagged vessels capable of transporting and installing components is also a crucial need, but one I believe can be met quickly.
