New law puts Maryland at the forefront of U.S. offshore wind

(April 10, 2023, Baltimore, Md.) — Today, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources (POWER) Act of 2023 (Senate Bill 0781 / House Bill 0793), paving the way for a new clean energy future for the state. Baltimore-based US Wind, Inc. (US Wind) applauded the bill’s sponsors Delegate Lorig Charkoudian and Senator Katie Fry Hester, committee chairs Brian Feldman and CT Wilson, and House and Senate leadership for passing this landmark legislation. The bill is on its way to Governor Wes Moore’s desk, where he is expected to sign the legislation into law.

“The POWER Act is a real game changer for Maryland,” said Jeff Grybowski, US Wind CEO. “It sets a path for the people of Maryland to reap the benefits of huge amounts of clean energy in the coming years. It also tells the entire offshore wind industry globally that Maryland is back big time as a major player. Companies looking to invest in offshore wind have to seriously consider Maryland.”

The legislation would quadruple Maryland’s offshore wind generation goals from about 2 GW to 8.5 GW by 2031, improve its transmission infrastructure, and provide a pathway to future procurement of offshore wind energy in the state. The 8.5 GW of offshore wind energy targeted in the POWER Act is enough to supply clean energy to more than 2 million homes in Maryland while creating tens of thousands of family-sustaining American jobs, as the bill ensures that offshore wind projects provide equitable opportunities for local unions and minority, women, service-disabled, and veteran-owned businesses to join in Maryland’s ambitious clean energy future.

Passage of the POWER Act follows closely on the heels of Governor Moore’s history-making announcement during the 2023 International Partnering Forum in Baltimore to boost Maryland’s rapidly growing offshore wind energy industry. In recent weeks, US Wind also announced its new partnership with Haizea Wind Group to manage and operate Sparrows Point Steel, Maryland’s first permanent offshore wind factory in Baltimore County, Maryland. The facility will manufacture steel components for the U.S. offshore wind industry, including monopiles and towers, while creating hundreds of jobs for local unions and minority businesses.

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About US Wind 

US Wind was founded in 2011 and has established itself as Maryland’s leader in offshore wind development. In 2014, US Wind acquired an 80,000-acre federal lease area off the coast of Maryland. In 2017, Maryland approved the company’s MarWin project and, in 2021, the state approved the Momentum Wind project. In addition to building MarWin and Momentum Wind, US Wind will also establish Maryland’s first permanent offshore wind component factory – Sparrows Point Steel – to serve the entire U.S. market and secure a major role for the state in the rapidly growing U.S. offshore wind industry.

US Wind is owned by Renexia S.p.A., a leader in renewable energy development in Italy and a subsidiary of Toto Holding S.p.A., and Apollo Global Management, an investment firm with more than $400 billion in assets under management.

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Press Contact:

Stephen Heverly
619-886-0926
sheverly@thehatchergroup.com