MARYLAND - Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced Friday that Orsted, a clean energy company, is enabling the development of Maryland's first offshore wind advanced foundation component center at Tradepoint Atlantic, a global logistics center, in Baltimore County. He also signed the Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources Act into law, which quadruples the state's offshore wind energy goal to 8.5 gigawatts by 2031.
The 40-acre center creates 125 union construction jobs and 20 professional staff jobs. Functional components for wind turbines like boat landings, ladders, platforms, railings, and other items for Orsted's offshore wind projects will be built by construction solutions firm Riggs Distler. They will range in size from 12 to 150 tons and can be up to 45 feet tall.
The center is part of Orsted's shore-to-shore supply chain in Maryland. Many of the components produced at Tradepoint Atlantic will first be prefabricated at Crystal Steel Fabricators in Federalsburg on the Eastern Shore, where 50 more new Maryland jobs will be created. Orsted will utilize the components built in Maryland to construct projects across the U.S., including Skipjack Wind off the coast of Delaware and Maryland.
"Because of the work happening today at Tradepoint Atlantic, Maryland is on track to become the offshore wind capital of America," said Moore. "It's happening through this partnership with Orsted, which is going to capture enough wind to power 300,000 homes, create 125 good-paying union jobs, and build a cleaner and greener world."
Orsted's other offshore wind supply chain commitments in Maryland include a $70 million steel pre-fabrication agreement with Crystal Steel Fabricators in Federalsburg, a $20 million zero-emissions offshore wind operations and maintenance facility in west Ocean City, and $10 million in STEM education and workforce grants to ensure the industry's opportunities are available equitably and sustainably.