(3) LEASES, 
EASEMENTS, 
AND
RIGHTS-OF- 
WAY.—In carrying out any activity under paragraph 
(1), the Offshore Power Administration shall be sub-
ject to the requirements to obtain a lease, easement, 
or right-of-way under section 8(p) of the Outer Con-
tinental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337). 
(c) GOVERNANCE.— 
(1) ORGANIZATION.—The Offshore Power Ad-
ministration shall be preserved as a separate and 
distinct organizational entity within the Department 
of Energy and shall be headed by an Administrator 
appointed by the Secretary of Energy. 
(2) REGIONAL
OFFICES.—The Administrator 
shall establish and maintain such regional offices as 
necessary to facilitate the performance of the Ad-
ministration. 
(d) LOANS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the Secretary of the Treasury shall, 
without appropriation and without fiscal year limita-
tion, make loans to the Offshore Power Administra-
tion that, in the judgment of the Administrator, are 
required to carry out the activities listed in sub-
section (b)(1). 
(2) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.— 
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(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graphs (B) and (C), loans made by the Sec-
retary of the Treasury under paragraph (1) 
shall include such terms and conditions that the 
Administrator and Secretary of the Treasury 
may agree to. 
(B) INTEREST.—The rate of interest to be 
charged in connection with any loan made 
under paragraph (1) shall be fixed by the Sec-
retary of the Treasury, taking into consider-
ation market yields on outstanding marketable 
obligations of the United States of comparable 
maturities as of the date on which the loan is 
made. 
(C) LIMITATION.—Loans made by the Sec-
retary of the Treasury under paragraph (1) 
may not result in, in the aggregate (including 
deferred interest), $10,000,000,000 in out-
standing repayable balances at any one time. 
(3) REFINANCING.—The Administrator may re-
finance loans made pursuant to this section with the 
Secretary of the Treasury in accordance with para-
graph (2). 
(e) AGREEMENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS.—The Admin-
istrator may enter into agreements and partnerships with 
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other entities to carry out any of the activities listed in 
subsection (b)(1). 
(f) DISPOSITION OF REVENUE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—With respect to covered 
transmission infrastructure owned and operated by 
the Offshore Power Administration pursuant to this 
section, the Administrator shall use qualified rev-
enue to pay the principal and interest of the loan 
made by Secretary of the Treasury with respect to 
such covered transmission infrastructure. 
(2) QUALIFIED REVENUE.—In this subsection, 
the term ‘‘qualified revenue’’ means— 
(A) all revenue received by the Offshore 
Power Administration from the operation of the 
covered transmission infrastructure; less 
(B) the amount the Administrator deter-
mines necessary to— 
(i) pay the costs of operating and 
maintaining the covered transmission in-
frastructure, including expenses described 
in subsection (g)(2); and 
(ii) pay for any ancillary services that 
are used by the Offshore Power Adminis-
tration. 
(g) FORGIVENESS OF BALANCES.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—If, at the end of the useful 
life of any covered transmission infrastructure ac-
quired, constructed, maintained, or operated by the 
Offshore Power Administration pursuant to this sec-
tion there is a remaining balance owed to the Treas-
ury for a loan made under this section for any such 
purpose, such balance shall be forgiven. 
(2) STUDIES.—A loan made under this section 
for purposes of studying covered transmission infra-
structure that is not constructed shall be forgiven 
upon notification under paragraph (3). 
(3) NOTIFICATION.—The Administrator shall 
notify the Secretary of the Treasury of such 
amounts as are to be forgiven under this subsection. 
(h) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(1) ACCOUNTS AND AUDITS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall keep complete and accurate accounts of 
the operation of covered transmission infra-
structure owned and operated by the Offshore 
Power Administration, including all funds ex-
pended and received in connection with trans-
mission of electric energy by the Offshore 
Power Administration. 
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(B) AUDITS.—The Administrator shall, 
after the close of each fiscal year, obtain an 
independent commercial-type audit of such ac-
counts. 
(2) EXPENSES.—The Administrator may make 
such expenditures for offices, vehicles, furnishings, 
equipment, supplies, books, travel for attendance at 
meetings, and for such other facilities and services 
as the Administrator determines necessary to carry 
out this section. 
(i) PREVAILING WAGE.—All laborers and mechanics 
employed by contractors and subcontractors in the per-
formance of construction work carried out in whole or in 
part by the Offshore Power Administration shall be paid 
wages at rates not less than those prevailing on projects 
of a character similar in the locality as determined by the 
Secretary of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of 
chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code. With respect 
to the labor standards in this subsection, the Secretary 
of Labor shall have the authority and functions set forth 
in Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 (64 Stat. 
1267; 5 U.S.C. App.) and section 3145 of title 40, United 
States Code. 
(j) ANNUAL REPORT
TO CONGRESS.—Beginning 
January 1, 2026, and each year thereafter, not later than 
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180 days after the end of each year, the Administrator 
shall submit to Congress a report for the previous year 
that includes— 
(1) a description of the activities of the Off-
shore Power Administration; 
(2) an accounting of the use of loans made 
under this section; and 
(3) an assessment of the coordination and co-
operation by relevant State governments, regional 
transmission organizations, offshore renewable en-
ergy project developers, and other stakeholders the 
Secretary of Energy determines are relevant in each 
region to develop and use shared covered trans-
mission infrastructure. 
(k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Offshore 
Power Administration. 
(2) 
COVERED
TRANSMISSION
INFRASTRUC-
TURE.—The term ‘‘covered transmission infrastruc-
ture’’— 
(A) means electric power transmission in-
frastructure, and any related facilities thereof, 
that serves at least one offshore renewable en-
ergy project; and 
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(B) includes onshore facilities that enable 
the interconnection of offshore renewable en-
ergy projects. 
SEC. 
7. 
OFFSHORE 
TRANSMISSION 
INFRASTRUCTURE 
STUDIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 
The Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the 
Secretary of the Interior, the interagency comprehensive 
digital mapping initiative established under section 388(b) 
of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and other relevant Fed-
eral, State, Tribal, and local agencies, shall periodically 
conduct studies and make recommendations available to 
the public on the potential siting of offshore transmission 
infrastructure in a manner that— 
(1) achieves transmission capacity to support 
offshore energy development to meet State or Fed-
eral renewable or clean electricity mandates, targets, 
or goals; 
(2) promotes safety, national security, and envi-
ronmental protection while minimizing impacts to 
cultural and living marine resources; and 
(3) leads to efficient development of onshore 
points of interconnection. 
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SEC. 8. INTEROPERABILITY OF OFFSHORE TRANSMISSION 
INFRASTRUCTURE. 
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall 
complete and publish on the website of the Department 
of Energy a study that assesses the need to, and chal-
lenges of, developing and standardizing interoperable 
equipment and systems in support of shared offshore 
transmission networks. Such study shall include rec-
ommendations for Congress, State, Tribal, and local gov-
ernments, manufacturers of electric grid components, sys-
tems, and technologies, regional transmission organiza-
tions, offshore renewable energy project developers, and 
appropriate standards organizations to help ensure inter-
operability across seams between offshore renewable en-
ergy projects, States, and regions on the outer Continental 
Shelf. 
(b) INTEROPERABILITY STANDARD DEVELOPMENT 
PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy 
shall establish and implement a program to identify, 
develop, implement, support, and document a stand-
ard for interoperability of electric grid components, 
systems, and technologies to accelerate the imple-
mentation and delivery of electricity generated by 
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offshore renewable energy projects through shared 
transmission infrastructure. 
(2) GOALS.—The goals of developing an inter-
operability standard under subparagraph (1) shall 
be— 
(A) to hasten adoption of shared trans-
mission infrastructure for offshore electricity 
generation by encouraging cooperation of manu-
facturers of electric grid components, systems, 
or technologies in order to— 
(i) maximize interoperability among 
manufacturers’ systems, products, tools, 
and applications; 
(ii) reduce offshore renewable energy 
project delays and cost overruns; 
(iii) manage power grid complexity; 
and 
(iv) enhance grid resilience, reliability, 
and cybersecurity; and 
(B) to establish technical baseline require-
ments to effectively and securely measure, mon-
itor, control, and protect electricity generation 
and transmission infrastructure from the point 
of generation to the control center. 
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(3) FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 
may provide financial assistance under the program 
to entities to carry out activities that— 
(A) engage equipment manufacturers and 
industry stakeholders in collaborative platforms, 
including workshops and forums; 
(B) identify current challenges and propose 
solutions to improve interoperability; and 
(C) develop an industry interoperability 
standard that meets the goals described in 
paragraph (2) for voluntary implementation. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of En-
ergy to carry out this section $5,000,000, to remain avail-
able until expended. 
SEC. 9. OFFSHORE WIND SHIPBUILDING. 
(a) OFFSHORE WIND SHIPYARD GRANT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy 
shall establish a program to support the refurbish-
ment, retooling, expansion, modernization, and es-
tablishment of shipyards and other manufacturing 
facilities by providing grants for the fabrication, re-
pair, and conversion of vessels needed for the con-
struction, operation, and maintenance of offshore 
wind energy projects. 
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(2) RECIPIENTS.—Under the program estab-
lished under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Energy 
may provide grants to shipyard owners and opera-
tors, fabricators of the vessels described in para-
graph (1), and relevant component suppliers. 
(3) PREVAILING WAGE.—The Secretary of En-
ergy shall take such action as may be necessary to 
ensure all laborers and mechanics employed by con-
tractors or subcontractors during construction, alter-
ation, or repair that is supported, in whole or in 
part, by grants provided under this section shall be 
paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing on 
similar construction in the locality, as determined by 
the Secretary of Labor in accordance with sub-
chapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States 
Code. With respect to the labor standards in this 
subsection, the Secretary of Labor shall have the au-
thority and functions set forth in Reorganization 
Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 (64 Stat. 1267; 5 
U.S.C. App.) and section 3145 of title 40, United 
States Code. 
(4) COST SHARE.—Section 988(c) of the En-
ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352(c)) shall 
apply to a grant provided under this section as if 
such grant were a demonstration or commercial ap-
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