The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has released the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for US Wind’s proposed Maryland Offshore Wind Project.
US Wind is seeking approval for the construction and operation of the development, which includes three planned phases. Two of these, the 270MW MarWin and 808MW Momentum Wind, have offshore renewable energy certificates from the State of Maryland.
If approved, the entire project could generate 1100MW to 2200MW of energy.
US Wind’s proposal for all three phases includes installation of up to 121 turbines, up to four offshore substation platforms, one meteorological tower, and up to four offshore export cable corridors with landfall occurring within Delaware Seashore State Park.
BOEM will use the findings of the final EIS to inform its decision on whether to approve the project’s Construction and Operations Plan, and if so, what mitigation measures to require.
“This is the most significant step forward in the history of Maryland offshore wind,” said US Wind chief executive Jeff Grybowski.
“BOEM’s draft environmental impact statement sets us on a path toward starting construction on our offshore wind projects in 2025, putting Maryland’s goals that much closer to reality. We are proud to be the first to deliver this clean energy to Delmarva and look forward to the day we can get steel in the water.”