WASHINGTON - The Biden-Harris administration today announced the approval of the Maryland Offshore Wind Project - the nation's tenth commercial-scale offshore wind energy project approved under President Biden's leadership. With today's approval, the Department has approved more than 15 gigawatts of clean energy from offshore wind energy projects - equivalent to half of the capacity needed to achieve President Biden's goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. Projects approved to date will power 5.25 million homes.
"The clean energy future is now! Today's milestone marks another giant leap toward our ambitious goal of unleashing 30 gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030," said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. "Our work to approve the nation's first ten commercial-scale offshore wind project is the result of the tenacious public servants at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to expedite the federal permitting process. Thanks to President Biden's bold Investing in America agenda, we're tackling climate change head-on, sparking job growth, and ensuring that every community shares in the economic opportunities of this new era."
"Under President Biden's leadership, we have jumpstarted the nation's offshore wind industry, which is creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, strengthening Made in America supply chains, and providing reliable power to homes and businesses," said White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. "Today's approval of our nation's tenth offshore wind project - a total game-change from the zero projects approved before President Biden and Vice President Harris took office - shows the tremendous progress we are making to harness this economic opportunity that both benefits American workers and the planet alike. From port infrastructure upgrades and new tax credits to speeding responsible and efficient permitting, we are using every tool available to continue turbocharging this industry and delivering a clean energy future for the nation."
In his first week in office, President Biden issued an Executive Order calling on our nation to build a new American infrastructure and clean energy economy that will create millions of new jobs, in particular committing to expanding opportunities for the offshore wind industry. The Administration set an ambitious goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind in the United States by 2030. Meeting this goal is expected to trigger more than $12 billion per year in capital investment in projects along U.S. coasts, create tens of thousands of good-paying, union jobs, with more than 44,000 workers employed in offshore wind by 2030 and nearly 33,000 additional jobs in communities supported by offshore wind activity. It will also generate enough power to meet the demand of more than 10 million American homes for a year and avoid 78 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.
"BOEM has responded to President Biden's ambitious vision for a clean energy future with enthusiasm, innovation and collaboration. Today's approval of US Wind's Maryland Offshore Wind Project reflects the best available science and invaluable insights from Tribes, government agencies, local communities, industry leaders, ocean users, and environmental groups gathered during our extensive environmental review process," said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. "As we continue to support the undeniable momentum we see along our coasts, our focus remains on fostering responsible energy development, while protecting marine life and ecosystems."
President Biden's Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the middle out and bottom up - from rebuilding our nation's infrastructure, to driving over half a trillion dollars in new private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good-paying jobs and building a clean energy economy that will combat the climate crisis and make our communities more resilient.
US Wind's Maryland Offshore Wind Project, as approved, could generate over 2 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy for the Delmarva Peninsula and power over 718,000 homes. Additionally, the development and construction phases of the project could support almost 2,680 jobs annually over seven years. The lease area is approximately 8.7 nautical miles offshore Maryland and approximately 9 nautical miles from Sussex County, Delaware, at its closest points to shore.
The Maryland Offshore Wind Project consists of three planned phases, which include the proposed installation of up to 114 wind turbine generators, up to four offshore substation platforms, one meteorological tower, and up to four offshore export cable corridors. Two phases, known as MarWin and Momentum Wind, already have offshore renewable energy certificates from the State of Maryland.
On July 29, 2024, BOEM announced the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed project, which analyzed the potential environmental impacts of the activities outlined in the project's construction and operations plan and considered reasonable alternatives. BOEM hosted two in-person and two virtual public meetings in October 2023 to gather feedback on the Maryland Offshore Wind draft EIS from Tribal Nations, local community members, commercial fishing interests, and other ocean users. As a result of the careful review and feedback received during the environmental review process, BOEM developed measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate the project's potential environmental impacts. The Record of Decision describes these measures, which BOEM will require as terms and conditions to approve the Maryland Offshore Wind Project.
