FENWICK ISLAND, Del.- Danish company Ørsted has announced that it will no longer pursue plans to construct an offshore wind farm's interconnection facility on a portion of Fenwick Island State Park. Officials with the town of Fenwick Island said they were pleased with the decision.
The company said in a release Friday that after more thorough evaluations of the area proposed for the facility, it has determined that a large portion of the area is compromised of undisturbed wetlands. As a result, Ørsted said it has notified the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control that it will no longer push through with its plans to build its "Skipjack Wind Farm" interconnection facility at Fenwick Island State Park.
"Constructing an interconnection facility on a site with such an extensive presence of undisturbed wetlands runs contrary to Ørsted's deeply-held commitment to building our business sustainably," said Brady Walker, Ørsted's Mid-Atlantic market manager. "The Skipjack Wind Farm will deliver significant environmental and economic benefits to the Delmarva region, from good-paying jobs to renewable energy for tens of thousands of homes. However, Ørsted is committed to constructing the wind farm and associated infrastructure in a way that seeks to mitigate potential adverse impacts on local ecosystems and communities. "
Walker went on to say that as Orsted pursues an alternative connection site, the company "looks forward to continued discussions with DNREC and other stakeholders in the region to complete a project Delmarva residents can be proud of."
Walker said the company hopes to make an announcement on an alternative interconnection site in the near future.
In July of last year, Ørsted and DNREC had entered a non-binding memorandum of understanding in which the company would connect wind turbines roughly 17 miles off the coast of Delaware to a facility in Fenwick Island State Park. In exchange for use of the park, Ørsted pledged to invest $18 million for significant improvements to the park, including additional parking spaces, new buildings and recreational areas, and self-service parking fee collections machines aimed at improving visitors' experience and safety at the park.
However, the proposed interconnection facility was met with concerns from both members of the public and state and local lawmakers, who said it could potentially disrupt the environment and discourage some visitors from coming to the park and beach community.
The Fenwick Island mayor and council issued a statement in response to Ørsted's announcement, in which they said they were "pleased with the decision from Ørsted not to proceed with on shoring their electric transmission lines at Fenwick Island State Park."
The town's full statement can be found on its Facebook page.