Baltimore-based offshore wind developer US Wind Inc. has signed an agreement with EPIC Applied Technologies for the installation of its meteorological tower at the site of the proposed 268MW wind farm offshore Maryland.
Installation of the MET Mast tower is scheduled to begin on 14 July, with installation anticipated to be completed by 8 August, US Wind said.
The met tower will be used to collect raw wind data at a height comparable to the eventual turbines’ height. The collected wind data will be used primarily to validate the virtual data collected through what have primarily been mathematical models to date, and will also to monitor the performance of the installed turbines during the lifetime of the eventual wind farm.
“This important milestone represents US Wind’s ongoing commitment to realizing this first-of-its-kind large-scale renewable energy project in the State of Maryland,” said Riccardo Toto , President of US Wind, Inc.
“We look forward to delivering the significant economic and job-creation benefits that our project represents and to advancing our leadership position in this fast-developing new American industry.”
The US Wind Maryland project, expected to be operational during 2023, will involve the installation of up to 32 wind turbines 17 miles off the coast of Ocean City.
In May 2017, the project was approved to receive offshore renewable energy credits (ORECs).
It is anticipated that the US Wind project will result in the creation of approximately 7,000 direct and indirect jobs and represent an in-state investment of nearly USD 1.5 billion, US Wind said.