The federal government, which controls the Outer Continental Shelf, has accepted the planning recommendations of the Maryland Offshore Wind Task Force and issued both a Request for Interest (RFI) and a map of an offshore wind leasing area in federal waters adjacent to Maryland's Atlantic Coast.
The announcement makes Maryland only the second state in the nation to reach this point in the development process for offshore wind farms.
“By harnessing the outstanding wind resources off of Maryland's coast, we can create thousands of green collar jobs, reduce harmful air pollution, and bring much needed, additional clean energy to Maryland,” said Governor Martin O'Malley.
This announcement represents the culmination of nearly two years of planning. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources worked with the Maryland Energy Administration, the Maryland Offshore Wind Task Force, and other outside partners like the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative and Environmental Research, to develop a comprehensive understanding of the various environmental and stakeholder concerns that would impact any proposed offshore wind development.
The result was a draft marine spatial planning area that represented the collective input of federal, state, and local stakeholders and formed the basis for the map released today by BOEMRE.
The western edge of the RFI area for proposed wind generation is located approximately 10 nautical miles from the Ocean City coast and the eastern edge is approximately 27 nautical miles from the Ocean City coast.
Maryland aims to generate 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2022.
A map of the area of interest as well as the electronic copy of the RFI can be found at the link below.
