A regulatory body in the US has approved plans to begin the construction of a wind farm comprising 114 turbines with a substantial 2,200 MW capacity in Maryland.
The contract is awarded to US Wind to build the offshore wind turbine foundation facility in Baltimore Harbor. Once operational, the farm will provide clean energy from offshore wind to power an impressive 770,000 homes.
The project will also make significant progress towards Maryland’s offshore wind goal of 8,500 MW by 2031 and bolster a growing local supply chain to support future projects.
The cumulative capacity of approved projects, including this one, now exceeds 15 GW, with more than 5 GW of projects currently under installation and over 300 MW already in operation.
Offshore wind project will benefit Maryland
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has officially issued its Record of Decision for the project .
When fully operational, the project would employ up to 530 individuals, including hundreds of unionized steelworkers.
US Wind claims that its offshore wind projects will benefit Maryland by providing massive amounts of clean energy to the regional power grid, supporting hundreds of local jobs, and contributing billions of dollars to the state’s economy throughout the projects’ lifespan.
The company actively encourages fishermen to utilize the areas around the turbines once they are installed. These turbines create structures in the ocean that mimic artificial reefs, attracting a diverse array of marine species.
The turbines planned for US Wind’s lease area will be about a mile apart, easing transit through the wind farm. The total area of the seabed taken up by each turbine foundation, including scour protection, is less than a quarter of an acre.
US Wind also holds the lease rights to an 80,000-acre federal lease area off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland, which has the potential to generate up to 2 gigawatts of clean offshore wind energy.
US Wind receives approval on Construction and Operations Plan
Oceantic Network has congratulated the member company US Wind for receiving approval on the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for its project.
“It has been wonderful to watch so many offshore wind projects along the East Coast receive their Records of Decision,” said Liz Burdock, president and CEO at Oceantic Network.
“However, this announcement is special for Oceantic Network. It is the tenth project to achieve this status, a milestone for the Biden-Harris Administration, and it’s also Maryland’s first offshore wind project.”
Burdock stated that the Network began with the goal of building an offshore wind project in Maryland, and today they are one ‘big approval’ closer.
With a fully approved commercial-scale project set to begin construction , the companies that have supported the organization from the beginning can now start working, according to Burdock.
US Wind will bring steel fabrication back to the old Bethlehem Steel facility in Dundalk, a dream the company has had since the first days of talking about offshore wind in Maryland.
“Oceantic Network congratulates US Wind and thanks BOEM for its consistent efforts to advance offshore wind energy in our home state,” said Burdock.
Turbine lights will be off almost 99% of the time
US Wind claims that its turbine lights will be off almost 99% of the time. Its turbines will be equipped with an aircraft detection lighting system (ADLS), which turns lights on only when a low-flying aircraft is detected.
Consequently, the top turbine lights are anticipated to remain off for an estimated 99% of the time, being visible for less than six hours annually. The lights positioned at the bottom of the turbines, which must stay on at all times for mariner safety, will not be visible from shore.
“Importantly, all project development and construction costs are borne by US Wind. Marylanders will not pay a penny for this clean energy until the projects are up and running and delivering power to the regional electrical grid. Costs are closely monitored by the state and ratepayers are protected against cost overruns,” said the company in a statement .
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