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Wind Project Site
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Description
Ørsted's Skipjack Wind was planned to be Maryland's first offshore wind project off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula. It was planned to occupy a 24 square km lease area, have an installed capacity of 966 megawatts, and power over 300,000 homes in the region. In January 2024, Ørsted cancelled the project in its original form, withdrawing from Maryland's state OREC subsidy program over concerns of commercial viability. However, Ørsted retained ownership of lease OCS-A 0519, which remains listed as Active by BOEM, and continued advancing federal COP permitting through at least early 2025. Federal permitting activity is currently paused pending a review of federal offshore wind leasing and permitting practices under a Presidential memorandum.
Location
At their closest, Skipjack Wind’s turbines were projected to be 24-25 km from the Delaware coast and 32 km from Maryland. It was planned to connect to PJM, a regional electric grid serving several states, at its installation base in Baltimore, Maryland.
Project Timeline
- 2025, April: BOEM completed its review of the updated Construction and Operations Plan application for consistency with the NOI Checklist
- 2025, March: The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council Executive Director granted BOEM's request to extend completion dates for all actions on the project's timetable
- 2025, January: Ørsted submits updated COP application to BOEM for NOI Checklist consistency review
- 2024, October: BOEM completed a review of the Construction and Operations Plan and issued comments
- 2024, June: Skipjack submitted a Construction and Operations Plan to BOEM
- 2024, January: Ørsted announced the cancellation of the Skipjack Wind project in its original OREC-subsidized form; federal lease and permitting activity continued
- 2018, June: BOEM approved Lease OCS-A 0519 for Skipjack Wind
- 2017, May: Skipjack secured conditional offtake agreements
- 2012, October: Skipjack secured site exclusivity
- 2012, February: Skipjack completed a feasibility study
- 2011, April: BOEM issued a Determination of No Competitive Interest (DNCI)
- 2011, February: BOEM approved a Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI)
- 2009, June: BOEM awarded and executed an Interim Policy Lease
Licensing Information
In May 2018, NOAA Fisheries issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to Garden State Offshore Energy, LLC for a geophysical survey related to the Skipjack Wind project off Delaware, effective through May 2019. Subsequently, NOAA issued two additional IHAs directly to Skipjack Offshore Energy, LLC: one for marine site characterization surveys off Delaware and Maryland (November 2019 - November 2020), and another for surveys off Delaware (April 2021 - April 2022). All three authorizations have since expired. No active incidental take authorizations are currently listed for the Skipjack lease area.
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.