Baltimore County’s department of economic and workforce development has submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for a $26 million grant in support of offshore wind assembly.
According to the county, the 2016 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant would fund the WIND START project, which would “support infrastructure upgrades at the former Sparrows Point shipyard to accommodate assembly, fabrication and shipping for the offshore wind industry.”
“From an economic standpoint, Baltimore County can lead the way as the center for a new clean energy industry that builds, assembles and distributes offshore wind products,” comments Kevin Kamenetz, Baltimore County executive.
The county says the WIND START “intermodal transportation project” is situated on 15 acres of the Sparrows Point, Md., peninsula and headed by Sparrows Point Shipyard LLC and US Wind.
The DOT grant would “upgrade piers and bulkheads, staging areas and ship-to-road access to support offshore wind development,” as well as add up to 1,200 construction and 900 permanent jobs, according to the county.
Kamenetz adds, “Clean energy has been part of our vision for Sparrows Point since 2013, when the county’s Sparrows Point partnership developed a blueprint for maximizing the potential for this unique peninsula. No single East Coast location has the same level of waterfront, large storage areas and transportation access as the Sparrows Point peninsula.”
