The state of Maryland has awarded US Wind Inc. 808.5 MW in offshore renewable energy credits (ORECs) for Momentum Wind, a new offshore wind project slated to come online in 2026.
The 55 turbines for Momentum Wind will be in addition to the 22 turbines anticipated for MarWin, the company’s first project for Maryland, which will be constructed in the same lease area. In total, the two projects will have over 1,100 MW of capacity.
Both projects will be supported by separate 20-year schedules of ORECs awarded by the state of Maryland.
“With the approval of Momentum Wind, US Wind has over a gigawatt of offshore wind power under contract with the state of Maryland,” says Riccardo Toto, director and president at US Wind. “It is with great pride that we celebrate this victory and begin down the path of making history for Marylanders.”
“Momentum Wind is one of the state’s most ambitious clean energy projects ever,” states Jeffrey Grybowski, US Wind’s CEO. “Momentum Wind and Sparrows Point Steel will help Maryland stake a major claim in the rapidly growing U.S. offshore wind industry, propel the state to become an epicenter of offshore wind manufacturing and provide affordable clean energy for all Marylanders.”
US Wind also plans to establish a new steel fabrication facility at Tradepoint Atlantic to support the U.S. offshore wind industry.
“At Apollo, the global energy transition is a strategic priority. US Wind is a marquee fund investment, helping to bring offshore wind power to hundreds of thousands of Americans,” comments Brad Fierstein, director at US Wind and partner at Apollo Global Management. “We’re proud to support the team working to deliver more than a gigawatt of offshore wind power to Maryland and bring steel back to Baltimore.”
In 2017, US Wind was awarded ORECs from the Maryland Public Service Commission to build MarWin, an approximately 300 MW offshore wind project consisting of up to 22 turbines located in the southeasternmost portion of the Maryland lease area. Anticipated to start generating clean energy in 2025, MarWin is expected to support more than 1,300 Maryland jobs and power about 80,000 homes. US Wind controls an approximately 80,000-acre federal lease area off the coast of Maryland, and in addition to MarWin and Momentum Wind, expects remaining future potential capacity in the lease area of approximately 600 MW.
