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.