The governor for the US state of Maryland has announced a target of 8.5GW of offshore wind development in the state’s waters.
The new target would more than quadruple Maryland’s previous goal for energy produced from wind, which stood at approximately 2GW.
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Governor Wes Moore said that the state plans to significantly increase its offshore wind output and prioritise wind energy partnerships, in turn creating job and economic opportunities. He also announced that the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is currently trying to establish new lease areas to strengthen its offshore supply chain.
The Maryland General Assembly is set to pass the Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources (POWER) Act of 2023 soon, though exact timings remain unclear. The Act calls for the state to boost its offshore wind generation goals to 8.5GW, improve its transmission infrastructure, and provide a pathway to future procurement of offshore wind energy.
The administration also announced last week in a press release that it will award $1.2m in grants to three businesses and training centres under the 2023 Maryland Offshore Wind Workforce Training Grant Program. The programme aims to support an offshore wind supply chain within Maryland by helping to offset training for developing wind workforce training centres.
Speaking at the 2023 International Partnering Forum, Moore said: “Our administration is serious about offshore wind, and Maryland is ready to lead.”
“We need all hands on deck in this crucial moment, so we can strengthen Maryland’s supply chain, leverage our state’s assets, and put Marylanders to work in clean energy jobs centred on logistics and manufacturing.”
“If we join together in partnership, we can make Maryland the offshore wind capital of the United States,” he added.
Moore’s announcement comes on the heels of Maryland-based offshore wind developer US Wind’s new partnership with Haizea Wind Group. This alliance formed in order to manage and operate Baltimore’s Sparrows Point Steel, Maryland’s first permanent offshore wind factory.
The facility will manufacture steel components for the US offshore wind industry, including monopiles and towers. It is expected to create hundreds of jobs, the developer said.
