Partnering with WREN, questionnaires are sent to offshore wind energy developers around the world who are involved in environmental monitoring. This page provides contextual project information and highlights environmental monitoring, providing links to available data and reports. Content is updated annually.

Skipjack Wind

Description

Ørsted’s Skipjack Wind will be Maryland’s first offshore wind project off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula. It will occupy a 24 square km lease area, have an installed capacity of 966 megawatts, and power over 300,000 homes in the region. 

Location

At their closest, Skipjack Wind’s turbines are projected to be 24-25 km from the Delaware coast and 32 km from Maryland. It will connect to PJM, a regional electric grid serving several states, at its installation base in Baltimore, Maryland.

Licensing Information

  • 2018, June: Incidental Take Authorization, Geophysical Survey for Skipjack Wind by NOAA 
  • 2018, June: Incidental Harassment Authorization Issued by BOEM 

Project Timeline

  • 2024, October: BOEM completed a review of the Construction and Operations Plan and shared comments
  • 2024, June: Skipjack submitted Construction and Operations Plan
  • 2018, June: BOEM Lease OCS-A 0519 (Skipjack Wind) Approved 
  • 2017, May: Offtake Conditionally Secured 
  • 2012, October: Site Exclusivity Secured 
  • 2012, February: Feasibility Study 
  • 2011, April: Determination of No Competitive Interest (DNCI) 
  • 2011, February: Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI) Approval 
  • 2009, June: Interim Policy Lease Awarded and Executed 

Key Environmental Issues

Per Ørsted's environmental stewardship statement, Ørsted is committed to building and operating offshore wind in a way that’s environmentally responsible. This is of vital importance in an area like the Delmarva Peninsula, which is home to numerous diverse and unique ecosystems, from the Chesapeake Bay to its saltwater marshes. Ørsted’s teams are working with local leaders, wildlife advocates, fishing communities, and other coastal and maritime stakeholders to address environmental concerns and develop mitigation measures. For example, in 2021, Ørsted provided a $50,000 grant to the Center for Inland Bays to help the center expand education and environmental research on horseshoe crabs, as well as programs to utilize oysters for water filtration. 

Metadata Documents

Environmental Monitoring: Skipjack Wind

Phase Stressor & Receptor Design and Methods Results Publications Data
Baseline Marine Mammals, Reptiles Marine Mammal Surveys
During the survey, a minimum of four protected species observers were on board each vessel that operated on a 24-hour basis from April 4th to December 4th 2021. Geophysical survey equipment used during this project was comprised of beacons, parametric echosounders (Innomar), and single channel sub-bottom profilers (sub-bottom profiler, sparkers). Mysticetus Observational Software was used to record operational and environmental information. 		Complete
The most frequently observed marine mammal species included: bottlenose dolphin, short-nosed common dolphin, and fin whale.

Altantic spotted dolphin, Rissos dolphin, and humback whale were also observed during surveys.

The most frequently observed sea turtle species included: leatherback sea turtle and loggerhead sea turtle.

Green sea turtle were also observed during surveys. 		Gardline Ltd. 2022 No data publicly available.
Baseline Physical Environment Geological Site Investigations 
Ørsted will conduct offshore site investigations off Delaware’s coast starting in September 2023 in support of Skipjack Wind’s development. The purpose of the survey is to collect data about the seafloor and the geology beneath it, and to identify archaeological resources and debris left by other ocean users.  		Ongoing 
Results pending  		Gardline Ltd. 2022 No data publicly available.