BALTIMORE- Offshore wind company Ørsted announced Wednesday the successful completion of the initial phase of Maryland’s first offshore wind staging center at Tradepoint Atlantic, the 3,300-acre global logistics center in Baltimore County.
Ørsted has now completed $13.2 million in port infrastructure upgrades establishing both a lift-on/lift-off and roll-on/roll-off berth within Tradepoint Atlantic’s port facility for handling offshore wind components such as wind turbine blades, foundations, nacelles, and towers. This includes strengthening the ground bearing capacity at the port to allow heavy-lift cranes and specialized transporters to move wind turbine components, some weighing as much as 2,000 tons, from ships onto the site. Ørsted provided funding to drive hundreds of heavy steel pilings over 150 feet into the ground so that these heavy components can be safely handled.
Ørsted and Tradepoint Atlantic are now beginning preparations for the second phase of the staging center, which is development of 50 additional acres of land for the laydown, storage, and assembly of offshore wind components. This new phase represents a critical step in Ørsted’s commitment to invest in a steel fabrication plant in Maryland, and also lays the groundwork for a potential investment in steel manufacturing facilities at Tradepoint. The new space could also be used for manufacturing offshore wind components. The development of these areas can be a building block for future suppliers to build a Maryland-centric supply chain for offshore wind.
“Tradepoint Atlantic is a world-class Maryland asset with a storied legacy of serving the needs of the United States and the world," said Gov. Larry Hogan. "This Baltimore institution is once again positioned to serve as a critical piece in supporting our country’s clean and renewable energy transformation for generations to come. Now is the time to invest in the kind of infrastructure that supports the development of new industries—like offshore wind—and the creation of thousands of new jobs. Ørsted has an established track record as the global leader in this noble effort, and we’re proud to call them a partner in achieving our climate and renewable energy goals.”
“Wind energy is essential if we want to move our country away from dirty fossil fuels and create quality jobs in the process,” Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger said. “This project, specifically, will provide enough clean energy to power 35,000 Maryland homes and support 1,400 jobs in a community still reeling from the closure of Bethlehem Steel years ago. I congratulate Ørsted, Tradepoint Atlantic and all of their partners for completing this phase and setting Maryland on a course to be the country’s premier destination for offshore wind staging and manufacturing.”
Strum Contracting is a Curtis Bay-based civil construction company that provided steel and welding services and assisted with driving the heavy pilings to improve the staging center’s ground-bearing capacity. Strum Contracting hired from Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC) to provide labor on this project. JARC is a non-profit workforce development organization in Baltimore City’s Park Heights neighborhood that trains unemployed and underemployed Marylanders skills in welding and other services critical to offshore wind workforce development.
“Together with Tradepoint Atlantic, we are delivering on our promises to the State of Maryland and have literally laid the foundation of a growing offshore wind workforce and supply chain in the state.” said David Hardy, CEO, Offshore North America. “We are particularly proud to play our part in repurposing this historic Bethlehem Steel site, an effort that has long been supported by a number of leaders, including Governor Hogan. We thank the Governor, Representative Ruppersberger, the Maryland Public Service Commission, the leadership of Tradepoint Atlantic, and our many other partners at the local, state and federal levels for their steadfast support and look forward to making additional progress on the site in 2021.”
Background: Ørsted announced in 2019 a landmark agreement to develop Maryland’s first offshore wind energy staging center at Tradepoint Atlantic. Establishing a world-class, state-of-the-art facility for offshore wind at Tradepoint Atlantic marks a major milestone in the development of Ørsted’s Skipjack Wind Farm and the expansion of Maryland’s offshore wind energy workforce. The center advances Ørsted’s commitment to create 1,400 jobs in Maryland as part of the Skipjack Wind Farm, including 913 jobs measured in full-time equivalents during development and construction and 484 jobs during operation.
About the Skipjack Wind Farm: The Skipjack Wind Farm was awarded offshore wind renewable energy credits by the Maryland Public Service Commission in 2017 and will generate enough clean energy to power 35,000 homes in the region. Ørsted plans to make $200 million in capital investments in Maryland.