Tentative BOEMRE Wind Energy Area, 6/11

In January 2011, we responded to a Request for Interest issued by BOEMRE for a lease area off the coast of Maryland.

The Project Site

The area of interest submitted to BOEMRE is located more than 10 miles from the state shore at its closest point, and covers the entire area initially proposed by BOEMRE.  The area proposed for lease in the RFI was established jointly by the State of Maryland and BOEMRE in consultation with a broad cross-section of stakeholders.

Current Project Status

Following the expression of interest in the potential lease area identified by BOEMRE, the agency has been engaged in discussions with the U.S. Coast Guard to evaluate the use of the area by commercial vessels. Apex remains interested in developing a project off the coast of Maryland.

Filing a response to the RFI is the first step in a multi-year process in which extensive environmental, cultural and geotechnical studies are completed before any permits are issued to construct the project.  The BOEMRE leasing process is expected to involve a competitive process that will extend into 2012.  During this period, Apex is meeting with stakeholders to build support for offshore wind and to better understand and accommodate competing uses for the area of interest.

Potential Impact

Apex’s philosophy of looking beyond a single project to a vision of an entire industry requires that we identifyan area large enough to support multiple phases of development over several years. The scale of the project is important to leveraging economy of scale opportunities, and attracting supply chain companies, thereby maximizing the economic development benefits and creating jobs for Maryland.

Depending on the size of the area available for development, we view this first Maryland project as a catalyst for future offshore projects here and throughout the Mid-Atlantic states.

Apex looks forward to continuing to work with Maryland to help the state attract wind turbine component suppliers and take advantage of the only scalable renewable energy resource that is indigenous to Maryland.

Interested in Learning More About Offshore Wind Energy for Maryland?

We welcome your input and ideas and would look forward to sharing information with you. Please contact us with your ideas.

Other Offshore Projects:

Hampton Roads Offshore Wind – Virginia
Lake Erie Offshore Wind – New York
Outer Banks Offshore Wind – North Carolina