•  Federal Approval: On December 3, 2024, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for the Maryland Offshore Wind Project. This project, located approximately 10.1 nautical miles (16.2 km) off Ocean City’s coast in federal waters, involves up to 114 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 14-18 MW, potentially generating up to 2,200 MW of clean energy, enough to power over 718,000 homes. The project includes four offshore substations, a meteorological tower, and up to four offshore export cable corridors landing in Sussex County, Delaware.

•  Project Phases: The project is divided into four phases, with the first phase (MarWin, ~300 MW) expected to be operational by 2029, and phases 2–4 (~1,800 MW combined) by December 2030. The Maryland Public Service Commission awarded additional Offshore Renewable Energy Credits (ORECs) in January 2025 to support this development.

•  Local Opposition: Ocean City, along with local businesses and residents, strongly opposes the project due to concerns about its impact on the viewshed, tourism, fishing industry, and local ecosystem. The town argues that the turbines, at 938 feet tall (three and a half times taller than any building in Ocean City), will be visible from shore and could harm the local economy. Ocean City has requested that turbines be placed at least 26 nautical miles offshore to avoid visibility, but this has been ignored by BOEM and developers.

•  Legal Action: In October 2024, Ocean City, joined by over 20 co-plaintiffs (including Worcester County, Fenwick Island, and local business associations), filed a federal lawsuit against BOEM to block the project, citing inadequate environmental and economic impact assessments. On July 5, 2025, a federal judge allowed key portions of this lawsuit to proceed, denying US Wind’s request for a full dismissal.

•  Environmental and Economic Concerns: Critics, including local fishermen, worry about disruptions to marine life, commercial fishing, and tourism. A 2023 whale death on Assateague Island raised concerns, though no direct link to wind projects has been confirmed by NOAA. Additionally, the project’s reliance on taxpayer subsidies and a potential “wind tax” on Maryland ratepayers has sparked debate. Environmental groups like Oceantic Network, however, support the project as a step toward combating climate change.

•  State and Federal Support: Maryland’s government, under Governor Wes Moore, supports the project as part of the state’s clean energy goals to achieve 8.5 GW of offshore wind by 2031. The Biden administration has also backed it, citing job creation (up to 2,680 jobs annually over seven years) and clean energy benefits. A permit to expand a pier in West Ocean City for project support was approved by the Maryland Board of Public Works in November 2024, despite local objections.

•  Recent Developments: In July 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criticized the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) for improperly issuing a final permit decision, potentially complicating the project’s progress. Despite this, US Wind is moving toward securing final permits, with construction yet to begin and the promised Baltimore manufacturing site at Sparrows Point remaining dormant as of July 2025.

•  Orsted’s Withdrawal: Orsted, another developer, withdrew its Skipjack Wind project (966 MW, located 17 miles off Delaware) from Maryland’s OREC agreements in January 2024, leaving US Wind as the sole active developer off Ocean City’s coast.

Summary: The Maryland Offshore Wind Project has federal approval and state support but faces strong local opposition and an ongoing lawsuit from Ocean City. While the project promises significant clean energy and job creation, concerns about visual, environmental, and economic impacts persist, with legal and permitting challenges potentially delaying progress. No construction has started, and the earliest operational date is 2029.

For further details, visit the BOEM website (www.boem.gov) or Ocean City’s opposition page (www.oceancitymd.gov).