Plans for wind turbines, a steel manufacturing facility, and thousands of new jobs are all on Maryland’s radar, thanks to a new partnership between Tradepoint Atlantic and US Wind.
Founded in 2011, US Wind is a premier offshore wind energy development company, and currently the country’s only offshore wind business primarily focused on creating clean energy and jobs for Maryland. After acquiring 80,000 acres off Maryland’s Ocean City coast in 2014, the company was awarded Offshore Renewable Energy Credits from the state in 2017 for its MarWin project, which is expected to begin generating clean energy by the mid-2020’s.
The recent announcement expands on the MarWin project with phase two known as Momentum Wind. Momentum Wind, estimated to include 82 turbines, is said to be the state's "most ambitious clean energy project," and will help Maryland meet its renewable energy goals and reduce its greenhouse gas output. The project is expected to bring 3,500 construction jobs to Maryland, and an additional 100 jobs once operational, totaling an $800 million investment in the state’s economy.
To coincide with the wind energy projects, Tradepoint Atlantic has partnered to develop Sparrows Point Steel—a new steel manufacturing facility that will produce the structural pilings, or monopiles, needed for wind turbine foundations. Through this proposal, a total of 500 full-time manufacturing jobs will be added in Baltimore County, with the site helping contribute $6.9 billion to Maryland's Gross Domestic Product (GPD) over the span of 20 years. Not only will the Tradepoint Atlantic site help Maryland achieve its clean energy goals, but it will be positioned to produce the foundations needed for other wind projects across the East Coast in the years to come.
“With one of the most skilled workforces in the nation, one of the best ports and marine facilities in America, and with our administration’s continued commitment to clean and renewable energy, I am confident that Maryland will continue to be a prime location for offshore wind development,” said Governor Larry Hogan.