The Matthew R. Simmons American Floating Offshore Wind Summit (AFloat) is a premier event that will bring together industry, academic, and government floating offshore wind experts from around the world.
The Gulf of Maine is poised to be the birthplace of the nation’s floating offshore wind industry. The 156GW resource located in water depths of 300-600ft is positioned in close proximity to the New England region where electricity prices are some of the highest in the nation. With a tri-state BOEM task force in place, ambitious renewable energy policies in Maine and other Northeast states, advances in technology, and lowering costs, floating offshore wind is gaining significant momentum. To seize the opportunity, technical, regulatory, and permitting challenges must be addressed. AFloat brings together leading offshore wind experts to address these drivers and challenges to chart a course floating offshore wind in the US.
The agenda focuses on topics related to research and development, emerging technologies, permitting, and design to address drivers and challenges from a technical, regulatory, and permitting perspective. Existing and planned projects will be reviewed, including New England Aqua Ventus, the country’s first commercial-scale floating offshore wind project that will be deployed in the Gulf of Maine.
Matthew R. Simmons
Matthew R. Simmons was the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Simmons & Company International, a global leader in providing research, investment banking, and financial advisory services to the energy sector. Matt was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and raised his family in Houston, Texas. He had a home in MidCoast Maine and he and his wife, Ellen, became active members of the MidCoast community. In 2005 his book ‘Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy’ questioned the sustainability of current levels of Middle East Oil production. It was an international bestseller. In 2007 Matt established the Ocean Energy Institute, with the vision to make Maine a leader in offshore wind. The Ocean Energy Institute aimed to replace the world’s fossil fuel reserves with energy from the ocean. His life’s work and vision for Maine’s offshore wind continue posthumously.
