Two projects had been vying for approval, and in an unexpected decision officials gave both the green light, saying the approvals will would "position Maryland as a national leader in offshore wind energy".
Deepwater Wind and US Wind have secured offshore renewable energy credits from the US state of Maryland for wind farms totalling 368MW.
U.S. Wind is a subsidiary of Renexia, an Italian renewable energy company that has won numerous federal auctions for offshore wind rights in the United States. That would be greater than the nation's sole wind farm, a five-turbine, 30-megawatt facility off Rhode Island. Reports show that Maryland will be adding approximately 9, 700 new jobs, as well as adding about $74 million in state tax revenues.
Commission chairman W. Kevin Hughes says the decision brings to fruition the General Assembly's efforts to establish Maryland as a regional hub for the developing offshore wind industry.
The two companies must notify the PSC by May 25 whether they accept the conditions.
Veg, fruit standards for school meals remain intact
The association often clashed with the Obama administration, which phased in the healthier school meal rules starting in 2012. She noted the modest changes to the onerous regulations: "They would relax whole grain requirements".
US Wind's 62-turbine, 248-MW project, 12 to 15 nautical miles offshore, has an estimated cost of $1.375 billion and is expected to begin operations in January 2020. It will cost an estimated $1.4 billion to build.
The Skipjack Wind farm project will total 120 MW and come online in 2022. "We look forward to continuing our dialogue with the Ocean City community about the Skipjack Wind Farm". Skipjack will connect to the electrical grid at a substation in Ocean City, with the POI established during the PJM interconnection process.
The plan comes at some cost for electricity ratepayers, once electricity is produced by the wind farms.
Maryland set a course to become one of the top offshore wind developers after opening a docket at the end of past year to review two proposed projects. It calls for the two companies to invest $76 million in a steel fabrication plant, as well as $39.6 million for upgrades at Baltimore County's Tradepoint Atlantic shipyard, formerly Sparrows Point.
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