Federal regulators continue to advance offshore wind energy development, issuing a key approval for a Maryland proposal and smoothing the way for as many as six future projects in the New York Bight. 

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the decisions Dec. 2 and Dec. 3. They are the latest in a long series of such announcements by an administration that made building the U.S. offshore wind industry a priority — and among the last before the transition to a president who has pledged to shut down the industry. 

BOEM on Dec. 3 announced approval of the construction and operations plan for the proposed Maryland Offshore Wind project.  

It is the final BOEM approval needed for the plan. It had been expected after BOEM on Sept. 5 issued a record of decision in favor of US Wind’s proposal to place up to 114 wind turbines rated at up to 2 GW off the northern Maryland coast, near the Delaware border.  

The two-phase plan — called MarWin and Momentum Wind — has secured contracts with the state of Maryland for the offshore renewable energy certificates that will help make the project financially feasible. 

In prepared statements, the developer and an industry association made no mention of the Maryland Offshore Wind’s prospects after President Donald Trump returns to office next month. They also made no mention of the ecological benefits of offshore wind power, focusing instead on energy security and economic benefits, both of which are stated priorities for Trump. 

US Wind CEO Jeff Grybowski said: “This is a proud moment for US Wind. After more than four years of rigorous and robust analysis, we are thrilled to have secured this final BOEM approval. US Wind’s projects will produce massive amounts of homegrown energy and will help satisfy the region’s critical need for more electricity, all while supporting good local jobs. America can achieve energy abundance and put many Americans to work building the power plants of the future.” 

Oceantic Network CEO Liz Burdock said: “Today, Maryland Offshore Wind became the 10th approved commercial-scale project, another significant achievement for the U.S. offshore wind industry. The first project for the state of Maryland, it will deliver a host of economic benefits while helping to meet our nation’s growing energy demand. Maryland Offshore Wind will create American jobs by harnessing a strong, local offshore wind supply chain. US Wind has advanced plans to bring steel fabrication back to the old Bethlehem Steel facility in Dundalk, and the project will support a variety of other industries throughout its life cycle.” 

A day earlier, on Dec. 2, BOEM announced a record of decision identifying 58 environmental measures expected to be applied to projects proposed in the six New York Bight lease areas off the New Jersey-New York coast. 

BOEM’s simultaneous review of the six lease areas is a first-of-its-kind attempt to streamline the regulatory process for projects that potentially would have similar impacts and proceed on similar timelines, given their proximity to one another and given that all six leases were awarded in the same 2022 auction. 

As part of this process, BOEM completed a programmatic environmental impact statement in October. The groundwork BOEM is laying now does not confer any approvals, nor does it lock in the process by which future approvals would be granted. 

The six lease areas total nearly 500,000 acres and offer the potential for more than 7 GW of installed generation capacity.