STATES WANT FEDS IN OFFSHORE WIND

Md., Del. govs ask feds to join wind energy pact
Randall Chase, July 22, 2010 (AP via Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

"The governors of Delaware and Maryland asked the federal government…to join their states in buying offshore wind energy as part of an effort to establish a wind energy manufacturing industry in the mid-Atlantic region.

"Govs. Jack Markell and Martin O'Malley sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking that he direct federal agencies to join Delaware and Maryland in offering to purchase one gigawatt, or 1 billion watts, of energy from offshore wind turbines…"

D.C. is at the heart of the nation's richest wind supply. (click to enlarge)

"Delaware officials already have authorized utilities to enter into long-term contracts for 230 megawatts of electricity from a planned wind farm off the coast of Rehoboth and Maryland has offered to buy 55 megawatts from the proposed 450 million watt project…[but] a commitment to purchase one gigawatt of wind energy could…[create] a manufacturing base and supply chain that could bring up to 20,000 jobs to the region…

"Markell said the project planned about 12 miles off Rehoboth Beach is "absolutely feasible" as currently planned, but that a large power purchase agreement would lead to more job creation in the region by renewable energy businesses…[T]he wind energy that would be purchased could power federal facilities in and around the nation's capital, including military installations in Delaware and Maryland."

Maryland, almost adjacent to D.C., has a measured abundance of offshore wind. (click to enlarge)

"Given its current size, the planned offshore wind farm would have to be expanded or supplemented with another facility in order to reach gigawatt capacity…Delaware environmental secretary Collin O'Mara said the area in which the offshore wind farm would be built is big enough to accommodate 1.5 gigawatts of generation…[composed of] 300 5-megawatt turbines…[A] Delmarva Power substation near Millsboro that is being upgraded to accommodate a regional transmission line known as the Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway, or MAPP, would be able to transfer power from the offshore turbines to the electrical grid serving the mid-Atlantic region…

"O'Malley and Markell also called for better coordination among federal agencies on offshore wind issues and asked Obama to support legislative efforts to remove barriers to wind energy development. Among the goals they cited are increasing loan guarantees, extending production tax credits, streamlining the permitting process and allowing the General Services Administration to enter into power purchase agreements beyond 10 years…"