The Biden-Harris administration has approved the 2GW Maryland Offshore Wind Project, the tenth commercial-scale offshore wind energy project approved under President Joe Biden’s leadership.
US Wind’s Maryland Offshore Wind Project could support almost 2680 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 turbines, 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.
On 29 July 2024, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed project, which analysed 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, the bureau developed measures to avoid, minimise 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.
With today’s approval, the agency has approved more than 15GW of clean energy from offshore wind energy projects – equivalent to half of the capacity needed to achieve the US’ goal of 30GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.
“BOEM has responded to President Biden’s ambitious vision for a clean energy future with enthusiasm, innovation and collaboration,” said BOEM director Elizabeth Klein.
“Today’s approval of US Wind’s Maryland Offshore Wind Project reflects the best available science and invaluable insights from Tribes, government agencies, local communities, industry leaders, ocean users, and environmental groups gathered during our extensive environmental review process.”