Wind

Maryland milestone as 2.2GW US Wind offshore array nabs draft federal environmental approval

Renexia-controlled developer now way ahead of Orsted's Skipjack in helping meet state 8.5GW goal

Jeff Grybowski of US Wind.
Jeff Grybowski of US Wind.Foto: US Wind

US Mid-Atlantic state Maryland’s clean energy ambitions climbed with the release of the draft environmental review for developer US Wind’s up to 2.2GW project.

Federal offshore energy regulator Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project some 10 miles (16km) off coastal resort hub Ocean City last Friday.

The draft EIS “sets us on a path toward starting construction on our offshore wind projects in 2025, putting Maryland’s goals that much closer to reality,” said Jeff Grybowski, US Wind CEO.

This is the farthest a Maryland-based project has progressed in the approval process and has been long-awaited.

The developer, majority-owned by Italian energy firm Renexia, was awarded its first offtake contract by the state for its 248MW MarWin array in 2017, followed by the 808MW Momentum Wind in 2021.

US Wind’s construction and operations plan (COP) entire proposal calls for as many as 121 turbines and four offshore substations for over 2GW, with the remaining uncontracted capacity bid into future state rounds.

The draft EIS will be published in the Federal Register, the US’ journal of record, on 6 October, sparking a 45-day comment period.
This is the seventh draft EIS issued by President Joe Biden’s administration. It follows the final EIS for the nation’s largest array, Dominion Energy’s 2.6GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, last month.

“Today's announcement represents another milestone under this administration’s commitment to promoting clean energy production and fighting climate change, while ensuring our efforts are done in a transparent and inclusive manner,” said BOEM director Elizabeth Klein.

US Wind is now far ahead of Maryland’s other project, Orsted's 966MW Skipjack array.

Despite having two phases awarded in the same rounds as US Wind’s projects, Skipjack has yet to submit a COP or even a site assessment plan, an early step in project development, blaming “macroeconomic challenges” for the delays, according to a company spokesperson.
Maryland this year expanded its offshore wind target this year to 8.5GW by 2031 through its Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources Act (POWER Act).

The bill took effect 1 June 2023, and requires the state announce its next round by 31 July 2024.

(Copyright)
Published 2 October 2023, 20:00Updated 3 October 2023, 06:25
AmericasUSOrstedRenexiaUS Wind