Maryland Offshore Wind

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Offshore wind holds the greatest opportunity for Maryland to decarbonize its economy while revitalizing sectors of the manufacturing, maritime, and port logistics industries.. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates offshore wind could generate roughly twice the amount of electricity the nation consumes annually, with 80 percent of the demand consumed in major cities along the coasts.

In an effort to encourage offshore wind development off Maryland’s coast, the State enacted a series of policies and legislation, starting with the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013. This initiative revised the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goal to source 25 percent of all electricity consumed in the State from renewable energy by the year 2020 and created a “carve-out” for offshore wind not to exceed 2.5 percent (about 500 MW) of the overall RPS.

From there, in November 2016, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) began reviewing two proposed projects submitted by Skipjack Offshore Energy, LLC (Ørsted, A/S) and US Wind, Inc. (Round 1 Projects) which total 368 MW. Then, on May 11, 2017, the PSC announced in Order No. 88192 that both projects were approved with conditions.

The RPS was revised again in 2019 through the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) which increased Maryland's overall RPS to 50 percent by 2030. CEJA removed the upper limit on offshore wind development and specifically required at least an additional 1,200 MW of Round 2 Projects through three new rounds of offshore wind procurement.

In July 2021, the PSC initiated the first procurement and began reviewing five proposed project applications. On December 17, 2021, the PSC announced in Order No. 90011 (and errata) it approved with conditions Ørsted's Skipjack Wind Phase 2.1 and US Wind's Momentum Wind (Bid 2) applications (Round 2 Projects) which total 1,654.5 MW; however, on January 25, 2024, Ørsted withdrew the Skipjack 1 and 2 projects from the OREC program.

Maryland's total approved offshore wind projects (Round 1 and Round 2) stands at 1,056.5 MW, which are estimated to provide enough electricity to power about 285,000 Maryland homes. These projects are required to create more than 8,000 direct full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs during the development and construction phase and more than 2,5000 direct FTE jobs during the 20 - 30 year operations and maintenance phase.

These projects will support Maryland's growing offshore wind supply chain and result in at least $831 million of in-state expenditures including investments of $25 million for port infrastructure, $21 million for steel fabrication, and $150 million for a monopile foundation manufacturing facility. US Wind has committed to small, minority, woman, and veteran owned business participation goals of 15 percent which is estimated to total at least $125 million.

Understanding the significance of offshore wind in Maryland’s energy market, in April 2023, Governor Wes Moore signed the Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources (POWER) Act establishing a new goal of 8.5 GW by 2031 and methods of mitigating industry risk through a transmission planning study and a second offshore wind procurement method administered by the Maryland Department of General Services.

MEA Offshore Wind Grant Programs

As part of Maryland’s offshore wind supply chain and workforce development efforts, the Maryland Energy Administration offers a series of grant programs intended to help establish a pathway for businesses and individuals entering the industry. The Programs have various funding opportunities available to businesses, including minority owned emerging businesses, non-profits, academic institutions, labor unions, and state, local, and municipal governments to help establish an offshore wind supply chain and experienced workforce.

The two programs, the Maryland Offshore Wind Supply Chain Investment Program (SCIP), and the Maryland Offshore Wind Workforce and Education Program (Workforce), are each broken into three (3) areas of interest (AOIs) to maximize the opportunities to engage in the industry.

Click on the links below to learn more about these unique opportunities:

MEA Offshore Wind Research

MEA supports various research initiatives that facilitate offshore wind development and scientific understanding of the offshore wind market, supply chain, workforce and the environment, wildlife, habitat, and ecosystems present on the mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.

Click on the links below to learn more about these initiatives:

Resources

MEA has compiled a number of useful resources that will help you understand the basics of wind energy, deployment of small and community scale wind projects, and how you can plan a career in the wind energy industry.

Contact:

For questions, suggestions or more information, please contact MEA Wind Program by e-mail at wind.mea@maryland.gov or by phone at 410-537-4000.