Maryland approves 368 MW of offshore wind projects
The Maryland Public Service Commission has awarded two offshore wind renewable energy to be built off the coast of Maryland.
The decision enables U.S. Wind, Inc. and Deepwater Wind to construct 368 MW of capacity, together yielding over US$1.8 billion of in-state spending.
US Wind will spend around US$1.375 billion on building its offshore wind project. The project comprises 62 wind turbines about 12-15 miles (19.3-24.1 km) off the coast of Maryland for a total power generating capacity of 248 MW. It is expected to go online in January 2020.
Deepwater Wind's proposal involves to install 15 turbines about 17-21 miles offshore as part of its Skipjack project. The company calculates it will need to invest a total of US$720 million to build the 120-MW wind farm. The plant is expected to become operational in November 2022. It will connect to the grid at an Ocean City substation.
W. Kevin Hughes, the Commission Chairman said:
“The approval today of the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind projects brings to fruition the General Assembly’s efforts to establish Maryland as a regional hub for this burgeoning industry. We have taken great care to ensure that this decision maximizes economic and environmental benefits to the state while minimizing costs to Maryland ratepayers.”
Commissioner Michael T. Richard said:
“I believe this decision creates tremendous opportunities for Maryland. It enables us to meet our clean, renewable energy goals using energy generated within the state while conditioning our approval on holding project developers to their promises of creating jobs and spurring economic growth. We have also acted to keep costs as low as possible in order to maximize the investment and benefit for Maryland’s electric customers.”
The projects are expected to produce numerous environmental and health benefits, including the reduction of at least 19,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year for 20 years—helping to ensure that Maryland reaches its goal of reducing carbon emissions 40 percent by 2030.
More technical information on the offshore wind projects is shown below.
| U.S Wind | Skipjack |
|---|---|
| Capacity: 248 MW | Capacity: 120 MW |
| ORECs: 913,845 / year | ORECs: 455,482 / year |
| Avg. Impact: less than $0.97/month (Residential) and 0.96% (C&I) | Avg. Impact: $0.43/month (Residential) and 0.43% (C&I) |
| 62 turbines/12-15 nautical miles offshore (as proposed) | 15 turbines/17-21 nautical miles offshore (as proposed) |
| Connects to the grid at Indian River Substation (DE) | Connects to the grid at an Ocean City, MD substation |
| Cost to build: US$1.375 billion | Cost to build: US$720 million |
| In operation (est.): January 2020 | In operation (est.): November 2022 |
