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Thursday, December 19, 2019

Maryland PSC Finds Public Hearing Merited On Larger Wind Turbines

OCEAN CITY — The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) last week ordered a public hearing on the ever-increasing size of the proposed turbines for two offshore wind energy projects offshore, but the scope of the hearing will be limited and results are not likely to derail the projects.

In 2017, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) approved two offshore wind energy projects off the coast of Ocean City. Technically, the PSC awarded Offshore Renewable Energy Credits (ORECs) to the two companies seeking to develop wind farms off the coast of the resort including the US Wind project and the Skipjack project. The awarding of ORECs was a necessary first step in what has become a lengthy approval process.

However, with advancements in technology, the height of the proposed turbines has increased exponentially since the original PSC approval in 2017, prompting Ocean City officials and the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) to request a re-opening of the original approval proceedings. For example, Orsted’s Skipjack project has now committed to using 12-megawatt wind turbines described as the “world’s largest offshore wind turbine.”

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

More expensive electric and an ugly view “winning”!

Anonymous said...

Boondoggle!!!!!

Anonymous said...


Pull the plug (intentional word choice) on this misadventure before it gets off the ground. OweMalley legacy to use unicorn energy sources at the expense of ratepayers.

Make the builders compete for market share, and most important, make them secure a bond large enough to pay for the dismantling of the project when it fails. See Chesapeake College and Crisfield for how long the devices last.