NOAA announced a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Ørsted Wind Power North America LLC, an offshore wind development company, to share physical and biological data in Ørsted-leased waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction. The MOA is the first of its kind between an offshore wind developer and NOAA, and it paves the way for similar data-sharing agreements with other developers.

“This partnership with industry will deliver data Americans use for business, science, and education, while at the same time mitigating effects of climate change,” said Ben Friedman, NOAA’s acting administrator. “Our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources are critical to national security and well-being, and NOAA is pleased to work with willing partners to understand and maximize the potential of these national assets.”

NOAA anticipates that Ørsted’s data will fill gaps in ocean science areas, particularly in ocean mapping and observing, to help meet NOAA missions related to climate adaptation and mitigation, weather-readiness, healthy oceans, and resilient coastal communities and economies.

“Ørsted believes in making a concerted effort to work with all stakeholders to grow key learnings and work from a complete data set to better protect our planet,” said David Hardy, CEO Ørsted Offshore North America. “Climate change is a reality, and we are proud to work with NOAA to provide crucial information and to demonstrate how our industry can be stewards of our oceans while providing American individuals and businesses with clean, renewable energy.”

The physical and biological information data fall under the following themes:

• Air quality, water quality, and emissions;

• Biological communities;

• Meteorology;

• Coastal and ocean currents, circulation, and waves;

• Hydrographic services and mapping; and,

• Physical oceanography

As part of the agreement, NOAA will also share its publicly available data with Ørsted. Together, these data and information resources will be used to plan and ensure the effective deployment, sustainable operation and maintenance, and efficient use of weather-dependent and oceanic renewable energy technologies and infrastructure.