Another edition of the International Partnering Forum (IPF) took place in New York – one of the world’s leading events dedicated to marine renewable energy, offshore wind and the broader ocean economy. This year’s gathering attracted several thousand participants from North America, Europe and Asia, including investors, developers, operators, public authorities, financial institutions and companies spanning the entire supply chain.

Polish companies and institutions were active participants, with IPF serving as a key platform for building commercial relationships in the US market and exchanging experience with the most mature offshore wind markets worldwide.

Polish delegation visit and business meetings

IPF 2026 provided an opportunity for extensive networking and bilateral meetings, both with US partners and with European companies present at the conference. Particular emphasis was placed on discussions with entities developing expertise in quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) and QHSE, engineering and construction management, port infrastructure and logistics, component manufacturing and specialist services, offshore operations, and subsea services.

Among the companies attending IPF 2026 were Technica Nova Baltica sp. z o.o., Baltic Diving Solution sp. z o.o., Secure Future Robert Tracz and Watkowice sp. z o.o. The visit was organised by the Pomerania Development Agency as part of the Pomeranian Export Broker 2030 project.

Meetings confirmed growing interest in transatlantic co-operation and clear demand in the US market for experience gained in delivering large-scale offshore wind projects in Europe. A key element of the programme was a visit to the New York office of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH). Discussions with the agency’s representatives focused on market entry conditions for Polish firms in the United States, the specific characteristics of US offshore wind projects, the role of local content and domestic supply chains, and the forms of support available to companies pursuing international expansion.

Offshore wind as a cornerstone of future energy systems

“Throughout the conference it was repeatedly emphasised that the US offshore wind sector is moving from the planning phase into delivery and scaling up. Projects such as South Fork Wind, Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind demonstrate that offshore wind is becoming a permanent feature of the American energy system,” said Łukasz Kneba of Technica Nova Baltica.

One of the key themes was steel demand, estimated at around 22 million tonnes across the current US offshore wind project pipeline. The principal bottleneck is not plate production itself, but fabrication capacity and port infrastructure – areas in which European, including Polish, experience could play a significant role.

Panels addressing regulatory aspects underlined that legal stability and predictability in permitting processes will be crucial to maintaining investment momentum. At the same time, the sector is seeing significant legal rulings that strengthen project security and limit the risk of arbitrary suspension.

According to analyses presented during the forum, the global ocean economy could exceed USD 3 trillion by 2030. IPF 2026 demonstrated that offshore wind forms part of a broader ecosystem encompassing tidal and wave energy, pilot offshore installations, and emerging grid and energy storage technologies.

Considerable attention was also given to the challenges posed by disinformation and the need for data-driven communication grounded in tangible examples and measurable benefits – including job creation, energy security and the development of coastal regions, Łukasz Kneba added.

For Polish enterprises, IPF is not only a prestigious industry event, but above all a platform enabling entry into global supply chains in marine renewable energy – a sector set to become one of the pillars of the global energy transition in the decades ahead.