Tony Sheridan headed to Denmark last week to tour wind-turbine component manufacturers in Copenhagen and Aalborg and perhaps lure a few of them back here to New London.

Sheridan, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, told me the nearly weeklong trip is funded largely by the European Community to strengthen economic ties with the United States. He expects to speak to representatives of about 60 separate companies in what he called a “dating process” where he can assess firms interested in setting up shop in the innovation center that will be opening this summer at the new Chamber headquarters in downtown.

“My goal is to assess the level of interest in doing business with America,” he said. “New London ... has all the ingredients necessary for an offshore wind hub.”

This includes a deep-water port, local manufacturing already tied to maritime industry and no bridges or overhead power lines that could interfere with transporting these massive turbines up and down the coast.

The Danish wind-turbine manufacturing company Orsted, along with American energy producer Eversource, currently are watching the state finish up construction work at State Pier in New London to support their plans to seriously up the ante on wind power generation throughout the Northeast. The two companies last year sponsored a study of the potential for the wind industry here that predicted “rapid growth and significant economic impact” in Connecticut.

“We’re the hub of the wheel,” Sheridan said.

And New London is the only heavy-lift port in Connecticut equipped to do this work, he added.

He likened the first wind project in Rhode Island to “Tinker Toys” compared with the huge turbines envisioned in New London, whose height out of the water will loom about as tall as the Empire State Building.

He added that the Virginia-based energy company Dominion, which also runs the Millstone power plants in Waterford, will be building a special ship made in Texas just to transport these monster machines, whose blades are about the length of a football field.

While in Denmark, Sheridan said he will be seeking letters of interest from companies considering taking their turbine-related businesses to New London. But it will be up to the state, most likely through AdvanceCT or the Department of Economic and Community Development, to offer incentives to move here.

“We need companies that have some experience,” Sheridan said, citing the Swedes and Germans as other possible sources of turbine components. “We’re 25 to 30 years behind where they are. There’s a fabulous opportunity here.”

The most likely scenario, he added, would be to create American subsidiaries of these European companies. He called the local Chamber a perfect liaison to make connections between these foreign companies and people in Connecticut who can help ease the transition to America.

“We’ll be able to give them access to a whole host of people it would take months to have otherwise,” Sheridan said.

He added that there is currently one New York company interested in making the wind turbine blades, but believes at least two firms in the Northeast will be needed to create competition that would keep prices reasonable.

“This is an industry that keeps on giving,” he said, pointing to not only potential manufacturing opportunities related to wind power but also to the need for maintenance and training.

He added that the recent news about thousands of new jobs opening at Electric Boat combined with construction of the National Coast Guard Museum and the wind-turbine activity at State Pier will create a ripple effect throughout the regional economy.

“It you don’t try something, nothing will happen,” Sheridan said. “If I pull this off, I feel like I would do something significant to feel good about.”

Lee Howard, The Day’s business editor, can be reached at l.howard@theday.com.