A major offshore wind project off the coast of Ocean City has secured its final approval from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
The Maryland-based offshore wind company US Wind announced Wednesday that it had secured its final permit from the federal agency.
US Wind CEO Jeff Grybowski called the approval “a proud moment” for his company.
“After more than four years of rigorous and robust analysis, we are thrilled to have secured this final BOEM approval,” Grybowski said in a statement. “US Wind’s projects will produce massive amounts of homegrown energy and will help satisfy the region’s critical need for more electricity, all while supporting good local jobs. America can achieve energy abundance and put many Americans to work building the power plants of the future.”
US Wind plans to build up to 114 wind turbines and four offshore substations in a federal lease area off Ocean City’s shore.
Up to four offshore export cables will each be buried about 3 to 10 feet (but no more than 13 feet) depending on seabed conditions, and will run from the lease area to the shore to carry electricity to land. “Concrete mattresses” may be used to protect the cables “in limited cases,” the company said.
The project could generate up to 2 gigawatts of offshore wind power, which could power more than 600,000 homes in the region, according to US Wind.
US Wind is also developing Maryland’s first facility for manufacturing monopiles, part of the foundation of wind turbine structures. The facility, called Sparrows Point Steel, will be located at the former site of Bethlehem Steel in Sparrows Point, an industrial area in southeastern Baltimore County.
The federal approval marks a milestone for Maryland – and for the nation – to help meet the rising demand for energy and jobs, said Liz Burdock, CEO of Oceantic Network, an organization that supports offshore wind and other ocean renewable industries.
“Today, Maryland Offshore Wind became the 10th approved commercial-scale project, another significant achievement for the U.S. offshore wind industry,” Burdock said in a statement. “The first project for the State of Maryland, it will deliver a host of economic benefits while helping to meet our nation’s growing energy demand. Maryland Offshore Wind will create American jobs by harnessing a strong, local offshore wind supply chain. US Wind has advanced plans to bring steel fabrication back to the old Bethlehem Steel facility in Dundalk, and the project will support a variety of other industries throughout its life cycle. Oceantic Network congratulates US Wind on construction approval in our home state.”
