HDR, the largest 100% employee-owned architecture and engineering firm in the United States, has quietly built one of the more varied offshore wind portfolios in the country. From environmental permitting and marine monitoring to port redevelopment and power delivery systems, the firm is now active across multiple states and projects — a breadth that few engineering companies have matched in the sector.
HDR’s Growing Offshore Wind Portfolio
HDR’s offshore wind work reflects the company’s broader identity as a multidisciplinary engineering firm. With more than 14,000 employees across 200-plus locations worldwide, the company built its offshore wind practice by drawing on existing strengths in environmental science, maritime infrastructure, and power systems engineering. Projects span Rhode Island, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey — covering environmental monitoring, port development, and grid integration.
That geographic spread is not accidental. Each service line grew from prior expertise, letting HDR enter the offshore wind sector with established credentials rather than building from zero.
Environmental Monitoring Roots Dating to 2015
HDR’s offshore wind involvement began in 2015, when the company extended its U.S. Navy marine mammal monitoring experience to support BOEM’s RODEO program — the Realtime Opportunity for Development Environmental Observations initiative. Through that work, HDR contributed environmental studies at the Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island and later at the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot project.
HDR subsequently provided environmental monitoring for two larger projects: Vineyard Wind 1 and South Fork Wind. Assessments covered underwater and airborne noise, benthic habitats, seafloor conditions, visual impacts, and turbine biofouling. The scope illustrates how monitoring demands have grown alongside the scale of U.S. offshore wind development — what once required a small team now involves sustained, multi-disciplinary field programs.
Engineering and Power Delivery Services for Active Projects
Beginning in 2018, HDR supported Ørsted in securing regulatory approvals for a New Jersey offshore wind project designed to power approximately 500,000 homes and businesses. Navigating federal and state permitting simultaneously drew on HDR’s environmental and engineering capabilities in equal measure.
HDR also delivered detailed engineering and power delivery design for the South Fork Wind landside substation on behalf of Eversource Energy — work that included the design and specification of protection, control, and SCADA systems, the operational backbone of any grid-connected substation.
On the same project, HDR developed a unified equipment naming system to improve communication across multiple stakeholders, including both Ørsted and Eversource. Coordination work of this kind rarely surfaces in project reporting, but it’s often what keeps complex, multi-party infrastructure on schedule.
Port Redevelopment and New York State Support
Since 2022, HDR has served as port development and permitting liaison for NYSERDA, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority — supporting New York’s offshore wind program through infrastructure planning, grid integration, and sustainable port development.
The most visible outcome of that work is HDR’s role in redeveloping the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, which now serves as a primary staging hub for Empire Wind 1. The completed facility includes heavy-lift crane infrastructure, dredged berths, shore power capabilities, warehouse space, and dedicated staging areas for offshore wind deployment activities.
HDR also secured regulatory approvals for the Port of Albany Expansion Project. That process involved a complex landfill closure approval requiring coordination across multiple federal and state agencies — a permitting challenge that, once resolved, allowed construction to proceed without delay.
Industry Partnerships and Global Outlook
HDR participates in the Oceantic Network, the primary U.S. industry organization for offshore wind, and attends the annual International Partnering Forum. At IPF, the company formed a collaboration with Green Ducklings, a European offshore wind consultancy, extending HDR’s reach into global markets beyond the U.S. East Coast.
Active capabilities span maritime planning, strategic communications, environmental permitting, and construction management.
Key Takeaways
HDR’s offshore wind portfolio now spans nearly a decade, beginning with environmental monitoring in 2015 and expanding into port redevelopment, power delivery engineering, and state-level advisory roles. The firm has contributed to projects in Rhode Island, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey — touching both the environmental and infrastructure sides of offshore wind development.
Its involvement in South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, South Fork Wind, and the NYSERDA port liaison role shows how a single engineering firm can operate across multiple functions within the same industry. For those tracking U.S. offshore wind infrastructure capacity, HDR represents a case study in building sector depth through accumulated, adjacent expertise — one service line at a time.
Carlos is an engineer with strong expertise in technical and industrial topics. He previously worked at international companies such as Siemens and speaks Spanish, German, English, and Italian.
