Offshore

Interior makes moves to advance Maryland’s offshore wind development

Interior makes moves to advance Maryland’s offshore wind development
(Photo by Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash)

The Department of the Interior announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the state of Maryland to support the coordinated development of wind energy generation offshore Maryland.  

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein, and White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi joined Governor Wes Moore to make the announcement at a signing ceremony in Annapolis. 

“Maryland will play an important role in helping achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious renewable energy goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “Today’s announcement represents another important step towards a clean, reliable energy future with good-paying jobs and economic opportunities that are accessible to communities across America.” 

“With today’s partnership agreement, the Biden-Harris administration accelerates our work in lock step with key state partners like Maryland to build the American offshore wind industry, cut energy costs for families, and create thousands of good-paying jobs, all while tackling the climate crisis,” said Zaidi. “Thanks to President Biden’s vision and strong partnership with Maryland state and federal leaders, the Biden-Harris administration will continue to work closely with Maryland to responsibly develop additional areas for offshore wind leasing in the Central Atlantic and grow this industry. The Biden-Harris administration will continue to use every available tool to ensure American workers and communities reap the economic and environmental benefits of this growing industry in Maryland and across the country.” 

Under the MOU, BOEM and the State of Maryland will continue ongoing efforts to explore and identify potential areas for offshore wind leasing. BOEM will also continue to convene the Central Atlantic Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force with the state and other stakeholders to address challenges associated with the siting of offshore wind leasing areas.

“BOEM is proud of our commitment to build a robust offshore wind industry that benefits communities and co-exists with other ocean uses,” said BOEM Director Klein. “This Memorandum of Understanding solidifies our partnership to collaborate on expanding the opportunities for offshore wind energy in the Central Atlantic.” 

In December 2023, the Biden administration, including the Departments of the Interior, Defense, and Commerce, and the U.S. Coast Guard and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, joined U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Governor Moore to announce a commitment to work jointly to evaluate additional areas off Maryland’s shores that could become wind energy areas and support the development of offshore wind projects.  

In May, the Maryland General Assembly signed legislation aimed at keeping the state’s offshore wind goals on track.

The law allows qualified offshore wind developers to apply for outstanding Offshore Renewable Energy Credits (ORECs) created as a result of changes in the market and to add additional capacity to existing projects. The new law also amends the POWER Act to add an additional solicitation to the state’s Department of General Services offshore wind procurement schedule and removes the cap on the amount of offshore wind energy the state seeks to procure. 

Last year, Maryland quadrupled its offshore wind target, from 2 GW to 8.5 GW, as the state aims to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035.

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