The Maryland Department of the Environment’s Air and Radiation Administration (ARA) has issued an air quality permit-to-construct , New Source Review (NSR) approval, and Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) approval to US Wind for its offshore wind project off Maryland, which received federal go-ahead at the end of last year.
US Wind applied for the permit and the approvals with the ARA in the fourth quarter of 2023, for the construction and operation of the Maryland Offshore Wind Project with up to 121 wind turbines, up to four offshore substations and one meteorological tower at the project site approximately 10 nautical miles (some 18 kilometres) off the coast of Worcester County, Maryland, on the outer continental shelf (OCS).
An informational meeting was held in June 2024 so that citizens could discuss the application and the permit review process with US Wind and the Department. In the first quarter of this year, a public hearing was held on the Department’s tentative determination and draft permits and approvals.
“The Department has reviewed the application and the comments received and has determined that the proposed construction and commissioning of the offshore wind project would not cause violations of any applicable air pollution control regulations. The Department has made a final determination to issue the permit-to-construct, the PSD Approval, and the NSR Approval, effective June 6, 2025”, the Maryland Department of the Environment stated earlier this month.
The department further said that any petition for judicial review can be filed by 14 July.
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for US Wind’s Maryland offshore wind project in December 2024.
US Wind was awarded offshore wind renewable energy credits (ORECs) by the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) in 2017 and 2021, supporting more than 1,056 MW across two projects.
In July 2024, under a law introduced in May last year, US Wind filed an application to sell 6,966,836 MWh of offshore wind energy to Maryland annually. The company’s application was approved in January this year, paving the way for US Wind to install 1,710 MW of offshore wind capacity and build the Maryland project in four phases.
The plan approved by BOEM concerns the lease area where US Wind plans to build its Maryland Offshore Wind Project that would comprise up to 114 wind turbines, up to four offshore substations and four offshore export cables that run from the lease area to shore in Delaware, where up to three onshore substations are planned to be built to connect the project to the regional grid.
In December 2024, Delaware’s Sussex County Council voted to deny US Wind’s conditional use permit required to build the onshore electric infrastructure at the planned site in the county. US Wind has filed an appeal, with a court ruling yet to be made. However, a new bill introduced by the Delaware State Senate could clear the hurdle for US Wind, as it would prohibit any county from denying such an application retroactively, if enacted.