US Wind taps Wood Thilsted for future-minded offshore engineering work off Maryland
Deal with Baltimore-based player to focus on detailed design of gigascale MarWind and Momentum projects plus redevelopment of Sparrows Point steel plant for foundation fabrication
Developer US Wind has brought on Wood Thilsted to lead engineering on its gigascale MarWind and Momentum wind projects off the state of Maryland, with the bolt-on job of re-developing the iconic Sparrow Point Steel plant for turbine foundation fabrication.
Wood Thilsted has also been signed up to run the rule over “technical specifications, application of codes and standards, and [provide] general engineering support” for the ambitious project to transform the Sparrows Point Steel site into a fabrication complex for offshore wind construction.
“MarWin and Momentum Wind will not only ensure the effective delivery of [gigawatts] of clean, renewable energy for homes and businesses across Delmarva [the eastern coast peninsula made up of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia] but will also make the region a major hub for offshore wind development,” said US Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski.
“Partnering with Wood Thilsted on the development of our first two offshore wind projects and the technical aspects of building out Sparrows Point Steel, Maryland’s first permanent offshore wind component factory [given] their best-in-class engineering expertise will enable us to provide affordable clean energy and family-sustaining jobs for many in the region,” he said.
Wood Thilsted US president Matt Palmer added: “We are proud to play our part in US Wind’s ambitious offshore wind projects, especially in the development of home-grown manufacturing at Sparrows Point that offers the opportunity for Maryland/Baltimore to become one of the largest offshore wind manufacturing hubs in the US.”
The developer has submitted a construction and operations plan (COP) to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in August 2020 and has since updated it several times. The COP calls for up to 121 turbines, four offshore substation platforms, and four offshore export cable corridors on the almost 80,000-acre (323km) lease in waters 10 miles (16km) from Ocean City.
Maryland was an early mover in offshore wind, holding its first tender for OREC capacity in 2017, with US Wind’s MarWin project winning 270MW, while Danish offshore wind developer Orsted took 120MW.