Maryland Commission Expands Offshore Wind Development

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland's Public Service Commission on Friday awarded offshore wind renewable energy credits to two developers who have proposed two projects off of the state's coast.

The decision will support plans by US Wind, Inc. and Skipjack Offshore Energy to build separate projects that would produce more than 1,600 megawatts of energy, the PSC said in a news release.

The new proposed projects are in addition to the 368 megawatts of offshore wind already being developed by both companies off Maryland's shore and whose offshore wind renewable energy credits were approved by the commission in 2017.

In the second-round application period that ended in June, US Wind submitted three bids, and Skipjack submitted two bids.

The proposals were evaluated on a number of criteria, including impacts to customer electric bills, Maryland's health, environmental and climate interests, including progress towards lowering the state's greenhouse gas emissions, and economic development benefits, the PSC said.

The round two projects are both expected to be operational before the end of 2026. They are subject to review by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.