Maryland to get its first emissions-free offshore wind O&M facility

The facility will create up to 110 temporary and permanent jobs in the community, and position the Ocean City area as a strategic hub for offshore wind jobs and economic activity. The facility will serve as the strategic embarkation point for up to three Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV) that will service planned Skipjack Wind 1. The O&M location will include a warehouse and serve as Ørsted’s Ocean City area office. Ørsted plans to utilize zero emission CTV vessels at the facility as part of its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. The facility will serve as the permanent home for key members of the Skipjack Wind 1 Maryland team, including highly skilled wind turbine maintenance technicians, engineers, operations personnel and other key roles.

“Wind energy promises cost-effective clean energy and jobs right here at home,” said U.S. Senator Ben Cardin. “I’m excited to see how this project moves forward, working closely with Ocean City and the local community. This new facility will help solidify Maryland as a national leader in creating the clean energy economy that will strengthen national security by lessening our dependence on foreign oil and protect our environment for generations to come.”

Skipjack Wind 1 is a 120 MW offshore wind energy project under development in Maryland that will power 40,000 homes in the region, generate $225 million in economic investment in Maryland, and create nearly 1,400 jobs statewide.

By locating its O&M facility in the Ocean City area, Ørsted is fulfilling a commitment made to the State of Maryland when the Public Service Commission awarded the project in 2017. This is the second major economic development commitment Ørsted has fulfilled, following the 2019 launch of Maryland’s first offshore wind staging center at Tradepoint Atlantic in Baltimore County, Maryland.