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Orsted announces Skipjack Wind Farm project may be delayed again

November 10, 2020 — The completion of one of two proposed wind farms off the coast of Ocean City may be delayed for the second time this year, according to the company in charge of the project.

The completion of the Skipjack Wind Farm, which is being built by Ørsted, is facing another delay, according to comments by Ørsted CEO Henrik Poulsen last week.

“Assuming the permitting process starts moving within the first quarter of next year, it appears highly likely that Revolution Wind, Ocean Wind, Skipjack and Sunrise Wind will be delayed beyond the previously expected 2023 and 2024 construction years,” said Poulsen during a call with investors on Oct. 28.

The Skipjack Wind Farm is a proposed offshore wind project currently in the planning and regulatory review process. The project is slated to be more than 19 miles off the coast of Ocean City and the Delaware coast, and was originally expected to be completed in 2022.

Read the full story at Delmarva Now

Wind temporarily taken out of Ørsted project’s sails

June 17, 2020 — The $720 million Skipjack Wind Farm, the center of the controversy for a deal to make landfall at Fenwick Island State Park, has been pushed back until 2023.

Ørsted, the Danish company developing the wind farm, announced the project is moving at a slower pace due to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) prolonging its study on the impact of offshore wind buildouts. In turn, that delays the Notice of Intent, a milestone toward receiving final approval.

“Our projects are moving forward, although at a slower pace than originally expected … it is no longer realistic to receive the Notice of Intent from BOEM in due time to meet the commissioning date in late 2022,” Henrik Poulsen, Ørsted president and CEO, said in an April earnings call.

The Skipjack project, proposed to be 19 miles off the Maryland-Delaware coast, would include 12 megawatt turbines about 800 feet tall. It would generate enough electricity for 35,000 homes in the Delmarva region.

Read the full story at the Delaware Business Times

MARYLAND: Taller, more distant turbines put Ocean City offshore wind projects back under state review

November 20, 2019 — Two wind farms proposed off the coast of Ocean City, Md., are getting a second look from the state of Maryland.

The Skipjack Wind Farm, led by Danish company Ørsted, and the MarWin Wind Farm by Baltimore-based U.S. Wind, a subsidiary of the Italian renewable energy company Renexia, are being reviewed in response to concerns raised by Ocean City officials about the farms’ impact on tourism to the famous vacation spot.

Both projects submitted updates to the state this fall detailing plans to install taller, more powerful turbines in their respective leasing areas.

The Maryland Public Service Commission, which has final approval on whether the projects receive key ratepayer-funded subsidies, will review public comments on the updated plans and may choose to hold a public hearing. It represents the projects’ first review since the MPSC conditionally approved them in 2017.

Read the full story at Delmarva Now

Skyscrapers in the sea: Massive wind turbines planned off Delaware coast

October 3, 2019 — The latest plans to harness the power of the wind will feature 853-foot-tall turbines installed east of Delaware’s beaches.

The Danish company Ørsted announced last month that it would install the world’s largest offshore wind turbines in federal water 15 to 20 miles off Delaware’s coast. Built by GE, the Haliade X-12 turbines would stand 853 feet tall in the Skipjack Wind Farm east of the state’s southern beaches. The turbine’s three blades are each longer than a football field.

“We look forward to introducing the next-generation offshore wind turbine to the market,” Ørsted Offshore CEO Martin Neubert said in a statement. Pending full regulatory approval, the turbines are set to be up and running by 2022. The 10 turbines are expected to generate 120 MW of power. Even though the turbines will be built off the Delaware coast, Ørsted has an agreement to sell the power they produce to Maryland.

Read the full story at WHYY