The future of offshore wind energy development continues to grow following a decision by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to expand leasing areas off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula.
As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, three final Wind Energy Areas were selected off the shores of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. These locations were developed following extensive engagement and feedback from states, Tribes, local residents, ocean users, federal government partners and other members of the public.
- The first is 101,767 acres and located 26 nautical miles from Delaware Bay;
- the second is 78,285 acres and 23.5 nautical miles off Ocean City;
- and the third is 176,506 acres and located about 35 nautical miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay off the shore of Virginia.
The three areas total about 356,550 acres.
“We are encouraged to see the Biden administration continue to advance more lease areas for offshore wind energy development and we commend BOEM for advancing these three new Wind Energy Areas in the Central Atlantic,” said Maddy Voytek, Ørsted’s Head of Government Affairs and Market Strategy for Maryland. “As America’s offshore wind leader, we continue to assess new opportunities for growth. Through Maryland’s first offshore wind project, Skipjack Wind, we are already investing in the regional offshore wind supply chain in the mid-Atlantic.”
Voytek noted such developments create jobs in Maryland and Delaware and contribute to state and national offshore wind targets.
Ørsted lauded the efforts of stakeholders including the Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Coast Guard in identify these locations.
Currently, Ørsted plans on two developments of its own with Skipjack Wind I and II. The total of 69 turbines would be situated 20 to 21 miles off the coast of Maryland and Delaware. The combined 966 megawatts of electricity are expected to power an estimated 315,000 homes.
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MARWIN I and Momentum Wind by US Wind represent a projected 77 turbines to be located 15 to 18 miles off the coast of Maryland and Delaware that are expected to turn out 1,864.5 MW of power for the state. That is enough to power 285,000 Maryland homes.
Both companies have yet to publicly state if or when they will file for additional leases in the three areas and the sale of the lease land, according to the bureau, will take place next summer.
“It only makes sense to pause at the federal level”
The expansion of the leasing area is not without its detractors, with the announcement drawing the ire of Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, R-Wicomico/Worcester/Somerset.
“Since the first local public meeting on the development of offshore wind energy off of Maryland’s coast back in 2017, a strong partnership of municipal, county, state and federal officials and the private sector have been raising our concerns and pointing out the negative impacts on marine life, national security, tourism, commercial fishing, rates and Maryland taxpayers,” Carozza told Delmarva Now.
She noted such questions and concerns remain unanswered, especially with the “dramatic increase in the size of the turbines as originally proposed” and the costly infrastructure problems that other areas are having with their offshore wind transmission like Block Island.
Carozza serves on the Senate Education, Energy, and Environment Committee in the Maryland General Assembly.
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“Now with the announcement by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to expand with three Wind Energy Areas including off of Ocean City, it only makes sense to pause at the federal level,” Carozza said.
Carozza argued the cost of offshore wind has significantly risen from the originally proposed $1.4 billion project in 2017 to a projected $4 billion in 2023 due to inflation, supply chain constraints and other economic disruptions.
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md-1st, has called for a federal moratorium on further wind energy development on the grounds of the alleged risks it poses to marine life and potentially high energy rates.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md, has countered many of the claims against offshore wind, applauding the efforts by the state to combat issues like climate change and sea-level rise.
“Meeting Maryland’s offshore wind energy targets is one of our top clean-energy priorities. Not only will these targets ensure Maryland is leading the way in the clean energy transition – they are also central to creating good-paying, union jobs and revitalizing local manufacturing,” Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen noted he recently held a call with key Biden administration officials to emphasize the importance of this goal and the need to ensure the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management leasing process to allow Maryland to hit its renewable energy objectives.
“As this process moves forward, I will keep working closely with the White House and relevant agencies to ensure Maryland can meet its offshore wind targets,” Van Hollen said.
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