Maryland Offshore Wind Project gains key approval

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The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has announced the approval of the Maryland Offshore Wind Project – the tenth commercial-scale offshore wind energy project approved by the Biden Administration.

“The clean energy future is now! Today’s milestone marks another giant leap toward our ambitious goal of unleashing 30 gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030,” said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. “Our work to approve the nation’s first ten commercial-scale offshore wind project is the result of the tenacious public servants at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to expedite the federal permitting process. Thanks to President Biden’s bold Investing in America agenda, we’re tackling climate change head-on, sparking job growth, and ensuring that every community shares in the economic opportunities of this new era.”

“Today marks the culmination of years of comprehensive environmental analysis on US Wind’s proposed projects,” said Jeff Grybowski, US Wind CEO. “BOEM’s Record of Decision brings us another step closer to securing final approvals later this year and getting steel in the water. We’re eager to advance Maryland’s offshore wind goals and support good jobs in the region for decades to come.”

US Wind’s COP considers the full build-out of the federal lease area, which has the potential to generate up to 2 GW of offshore wind power. BOEM’s Record of Decision brings the two-year National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to a close and sets US Wind on a path to securing all remaining federal permits by the end of 2024.

The development and construction phases of the project could support almost 2,680 jobs annually over seven years. The lease area is approximately 8.7 nautical miles offshore Maryland and approximately 9 nautical miles from Sussex County, Delaware, at its closest points to shore.

The Maryland Offshore Wind Project consists of three planned phases, which include the proposed installation of up to 114 wind turbine generators, up to four offshore substation platforms, one meteorological tower, and up to four offshore export cable corridors. Two phases, known as MarWin and Momentum Wind, already have offshore renewable energy certificates from the State of Maryland.

“It has been wonderful to watch so many offshore wind projects along the East Coast receive their Records of Decision,” said Liz Burdock, president and CEO at Oceantic Network, “However, this announcement is special for Oceantic Network. It is the tenth project to achieve this status, a milestone for the Biden-Harris Administration, and it’s also Maryland’s first offshore wind project. The network began with the goal of building an offshore wind project in Maryland and today we are one ‘big approval’ closer. With a fully approved commercial scale project set to begin construction, the companies that have supported our organization from the beginning can now start working. US Wind will bring steel fabrication back to the old Bethlehem Steel facility in Dundalk, a dream we have had since the first days of talking about offshore wind in Maryland. Oceantic Network congratulates US Wind and thanks BOEM for its consistent efforts to advance offshore wind energy in our home state.”

On July 29, 2024, BOEM announced the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed project, which analyzed the potential environmental impacts of the activities outlined in the project’s construction and operations plan and considered reasonable alternatives. BOEM hosted two in-person and two virtual public meetings in October 2023 to gather feedback on the Maryland Offshore Wind draft EIS from tribal nations, local community members, commercial fishing interests, and other ocean users. As a result of the careful review and feedback received during the environmental review process, BOEM developed measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate the project’s potential environmental impacts. The Record of Decision describes these measures, which BOEM will require as terms and conditions to approve the Maryland Offshore Wind Project.

The “Notice of Availability of a Joint Record of Decision for US Wind Inc.’s Proposed Maryland Offshore Wind Project” will be published in the Federal Register in the coming days. For more information on the Maryland Offshore Wind Project, visit BOEM’s website.