The United States reached a key mile in its efforts to develop the offshore renewable energy industry. The Department of the Interior announced today the approval for US Wind’s Maryland wind projects which mark the 10th commercial-scale offshore wind farms in the U.S. to gain approval while also surpassing the halfway mark in the Biden Administration’s goal of 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.
“Today’s milestone marks another giant leap toward our ambitious goal of unleashing 30 GW of offshore energy by 2030,” said Acting Deputy Secretary Kaura Daniel-Davis. Administration officials noted satisfaction while saying they never thought it would be easy. They recognize the industry faces challenges but is also making key headway.
US Wind, a subsidiary of Italy’s Renexia, received its Record of Decision which is the formal approval of its Construction and Operations Plan for the zone which they collectively call the Maryland Offshore Wind Project. The full site, which consists of approximately 80,000 acres off Ocean City, Maryland, has the potential to generate up to 2 GW of offshore wind power. The lease area starts at approximately 8.7 miles offshore Maryland and approximately 9 nautical miles from Sussex County, Delaware, at its closest points to shore.
The plan calls for three phases, the first of which will be MarWin. It is proposed as a 300 MW project with 22 turbines located approximately 20 miles offshore. The second phase is Momentum Wind which will consist of 55 turbines and generate an additional 808 MW. It will be approximately 15 miles offshore. Maryland has already issued permits for these first two phases of the project.
President Joe Biden issued a statement hailing the progress noting that when he came to office in 2021, “the industry was struggling to gain a foothold.” Through a partnership of the federal government and the private sector and investments, he notes the key progress. He pointed to the investments ranging from manufacturing and shipbuilding to ports and construction driven by the offshore wind industry.
US Wind, for example, highlights investments of more than $75 million in Maryland ports. It will also invest in a component manufacturing factor for monopiles called Sparrows Point Steel. Other participants in the industry have already driven shipbuilding for crew transfer vessels, the first US-built construction SOV now operating at the Revolution Wind project, and the first US-built wind turbine installation vessel under construction in Texas.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the final Environmental Impact State for the proposed Maryland Wind project on July 29. US Wind CEO Jeff Grybowski highlighted the key steps bringing the two-year review process to a close. He said US Wind is on path to securing all remaining federal permits by the end of 2024.
