Rep. Andy Harris fires new salvo at 'incredibly expensive' offshore wind projects

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md-1st, in a conference call with reporters, continued to rail against offshore wind development in Maryland ahead of Thursday's State of the Union Address.

According to Harris, the financial issues facing offshore wind still make it financially impossible on the scale that is currently being proposed by companies like US Wind and Ørsted.

“The bottom line is that if offshore wind companies don’t get very generous state subsidies, or rate-payer subsidies being what they truly are, those construction projects are economically unfeasible," Harris said. "With the absence of any such subsidies, my prediction is that they won’t go forward with those projects. Offshore wind is incredibly expensive to do and would never exist without government (monies)."

Despite ongoing development of offshore wind infrastructure in Ocean City and along the Mid-Atlantic, Harris continued to note it was far from the panacea for climate change concerns.

"People who open their electric bills every month have seen the rise of these costs greatly exceed the rate of inflation," Harris said. "We can’t afford to take a back seat to China in energy production and we certainly can’t afford one of the most expensive ways to generate electricity, which is offshore wind. If this were onshore wind, that would be a different story. It’s impact on global warming on the Mid-Atlantic will be less than negligible."

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US Wind: 'It is clear Marylanders want offshore wind'

In a response to Harris, Nancy Sopko, US Wind’s senior director of External Affairs cited statewide data showing a majority of the state backs offshore wind development.

The data coincides with Gov. Wes Moore's move for 100% clean energy by 2035 and the announcement that the Maryland Energy Administration will offer more than $6 million in Fiscal Year 24 funding through its Maryland Offshore Wind Grant Program Portfolio. It is designed to help Maryland’s emerging businesses and workforce get involved in the growing offshore wind industry.

"'Offshore wind energy is Maryland’s largest clean energy resource, and, when fully utilized, will reduce emissions of air pollutants like carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide by more than 100-million tons while simultaneously supporting thousands of local jobs," Sopko said.

She also noted that in conversations with the public across the state, "it is clear that Marylanders want offshore wind. In a recent poll, 72% of Marylanders say they support expanding this source of clean energy."

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"Building offshore wind will help America be more energy independent. We can power homes and businesses with our own clean and abundant natural resource, the wind, located just off our coast. And we can do that while we put Marylanders to work building infrastructure that helps clean our air instead of polluting it," Sopko said.

US Wind continues to pave the way for offshore wind development in Ocean City, and now a federal application has been filed by the company to develop a new industrial pier.

According to official filings, it would be located on the west side of the resort town and would include a concrete-decked design of over 600 feet. The space will allow for other infrastructure like industrial cranes to be used and will include wave screens to better protect the development.

MARWIN I and Momentum Wind by US Wind represent a projected 77 turbines to be located off the coast of Maryland and Delaware that are expected to turn out 1,864.5 MW of power for the state. That is enough to power 285,000 Maryland homes.

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Ørsted moving forward amid disruptions

In January, Ørsted announced it will reposition Skipjack Wind, a combined 966-megawatt project in development off the coast of the Delmarva peninsula, "for future offtake opportunities." Following consultation with the state of Maryland, Ørsted has withdrawn from the Maryland Public Service Commission Orders approving the Skipjack 1 and 2 projects.

This followed the company, earlier in the year, pulling out of a billion-dollar offshore wind development in New Jersey citing ongoing inflation and constructions issues

The company noted it intends to continue advancing development and permitting for the combined project, including submission of its updated Construction and Operations Plan to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

In response to Harris' comments, Maddy Voytek, head of Government Affairs and Market Strategy in Maryland, echoed the sentiments from other offshore wind developers.

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“Offshore wind is critical to achieving U.S. energy independence and diversifying the nation’s energy mix," Voytek said. "A strong majority of Maryland residents support offshore wind, with recent public opinion surveys finding that 72% of residents support expanding offshore wind in the state. By setting a goal to procure 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2031, Maryland can create a more sustainable energy future."

Voytek added offshore wind will deliver "lasting benefits for its residents, its economy, and the environment.”

Ocean City Mayor: 'Ocean City cannot be bought'

Last month, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan released a statement after US Wind engaged in discussions with the neighboring Delaware resort communities offering Community Benefit Packages. The packages, Meehan stipulated, offered payments up to $2 million to be dispersed to these communities over a 20-year period.

According to Meehan, "these Community Benefit Packages are in exchange for the commitment that these local government officials would refrain from making any negative comments or objections to US Wind's proposed project for the term of the agreement," he said in a statement.

The company confirmed they offered the financial packages amid Meehan decrying the offers.

"Respectfully the future of the Town of Ocean City cannot be bought, and we intend to continue to do what is necessary to protect the interests of our residents, property owners and future generations," Meehan said.

Meehan doubled down on his opposition to the project, citing the company's plan to build 940-foot-tall wind turbines as close as 10.9 miles off the coast of Ocean City.

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This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Offshore wind comes under new fire from Rep. Andy Harris