Offshore wind group BNOW rebrands to Oceantic, expands into sea-based renewables

Industry group Business Network for Offshore Wind (BNOW) has changed its name to Oceantic Network to reflect its expansion into the “larger mosaic of ocean-based renewable energy technologies”, the group stated.

Founder and CEO Liz Burdock said: “Our members recognise that the oceans – whose winds they have devoted a decade to harnessing – hold a far greater store of energy than previous generations ever imagined.

“The ocean’s waves, tides, billions of surface acreage for gathering solar power, and the awesome innovations of green hydrogen all create new possibilities for economic activity, jobs, and abundant clean energy,” she added.

Oceantic spotlighted tidal and wave energy and floating solar as key sectors for development.

The rebranding reinforces the organisation’s “strategic commitment to convene stakeholders in all ocean-based sources of renewable power, leveraging members’ expertise and investments in developing offshore wind capabilities,” Oceantic said.

BNOW was founded in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2013 following the state’s landmark offshore wind procurement law. Since then, it has remained a stalwart industry voice as the sector struggled to gain footing in the US.

With surge in offshore wind activity under President Joe Biden's administration, its International Partnering Forum (IPF) has become among the most important industry conferences and its market reports relied upon by sector observers.

The network's expansion into other offshore renewables marks a further pioneering effort.

“Generating power from offshore wind, and all the work that has gone into building this industry, is aligned with the needs and long-term goals of other ocean renewables,” Oceantic said on its website.

“They are all pieces of a broader interconnected effort to draw power from the sea.”

Oceantic will continue to support offshore wind and host the annual IPF.