Maryland just gave the thumbs up to a massive wind farm off its coast, and not everyone’s thrilled about it. The state’s Department of the Environment handed US Wind Inc. its final construction permit this January, clearing the way for 114 turbines to sprout about 10 miles offshore. That’s 1,710 megawatts of wind power spread across 324 square kilometers of ocean.
The numbers are staggering. Seven terawatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to make any renewable energy advocate swoon. Four construction phases. One very angry beach town. Ocean City residents and their allies have been fighting this thing tooth and nail, calling the final approval “unconscionable.” Guess their concerns about tourism, aesthetics, and environmental impacts didn’t influence the regulators much.
US Wind Inc., the Baltimore-based developer backed by Italy’s Renexia Group, insists they followed all the rules. Their CEO keeps talking about “homegrown energy” benefits. Sure, homegrown if you ignore the Italian ownership. The company already cleared federal hurdles and got Maryland Public Service Commission’s blessing on their rebid application. Now they’ve got this final state permit after what officials called a “thorough, science-based review.”
Homegrown energy with Italian ownership – funny how that math works out for US Wind’s Maryland project.
But here’s where it gets messy. Delaware’s playing hardball over substations planned at one of their power plants. Sussex County hasn’t budged on permits, forcing state lawmakers to deliberate stripping the council’s authority altogether. Nothing like a good old-fashioned jurisdictional fight to spice things up. This project highlights the integration challenges that renewable energy faces when being incorporated into existing power grids.
The project promises to help Maryland hit its clean energy targets while feeding the region’s growing electricity appetite. Less fossil fuel dependence, more spinning blades on the horizon. Critics worry about birds, fish, and their ocean views. Supporters see jobs and carbon reduction. The company committed to establishing Maryland’s first offshore wind factory at Sparrows Point Steel, adding manufacturing muscle to match the megawatts. US Wind plans to pour 95 million dollars into the facility to manufacture components for the project.
Legal challenges loom. Political battles rage. Community meetings get heated. Meanwhile, US Wind’s probably already ordering turbine parts and planning construction schedules. The state gave multiple opportunities for public feedback, they say. Fat lot of good that did for the opposition.
Love it or hate it, Maryland’s offshore wind ambitions just got very real. Those 114 turbines aren’t theoretical anymore.
References
- https://www.offshorewind.biz/2025/01/29/maryland-ups-us-winds-capacity-award-to-1-7-gw/
- https://renexia.it/en/us-wind-via-libera-al-parco-eolico-offshore-nel-maryland/
- https://renewablesnow.com/news/us-wind-awarded-more-orecs-to-build-total-of-1-7-gw-off-maryland-1270018/
- https://www.4coffshore.com/news/maryland-greenlights-final-permit-for-us-offshore-wind-project-amid-ongoing-opposition-nid31289.html
- https://thedailyrecord.com/2025/06/09/us-wind-offshore-turbines-maryland-approval/
