MARYLAND PUSHES OCEAN WIND PRICE

O'Malley Introduces Amendments To Offshore Wind Bill
24 March 2011 (North American Windpower)

"Gov. Martin O'Malley, D-Md., has introduced new amendments to the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2011 that will limit the Public Service Commission's (PSC) ability to approve projects to only those projects with pricing impacts on Maryland families of less than $2 per month.

"The bill would require that public utilities purchase between 400 MW to 600 MW of power from offshore wind generation facilities in federal waters adjacent to the PJM Control Area for a period of 25 years."

A great energy asset (click to enlarge)

"…PSC currently directs the utilities to procure approximately 25% of [residential ratepayers] power at a time, in two-year contracts, making [them] vulnerable to periodic [market price] increases…"

A great and affordable energy asset (click to enlarge)

"…[Other amendments] would require the developer of the project to pass along any savings from federal tax incentives to ratepayers…[and] require the PSC to consider, as a criterion of choosing the project, a developer's plan to include minority- and women-owned businesses as well as small businesses in the development and distribution of offshore wind energy.

"Offshore wind could create more than 20 direct jobs per annual megawatt, including jobs in manufacturing, engineering and skilled labor…A 500 MW wind generation facility in the waters off of the Delmarva coast could generate as many as 2,000 manufacturing and construction jobs during the five-year development period, with an additional 400 permanent jobs once the turbines are spinning."