On September 5, 2024, Delaware Governor John Carney signed into law SB 265, the Delaware Energy Solutions Act of 2024. This legislation established Delaware’s offshore wind procurement target of up to 1200 megawatts (MW), positioning the state alongside its East Coast counterparts—from Maine to North Carolina—in supporting the growing offshore wind industry.
What’s in the Law
Introduced by Senator Stephanie Hansen, a champion for clean energy and climate issues in the Delaware General Assembly, SB 265 requires the Delaware State Energy Office to procure up to 1,200 MW of clean and reliable offshore wind energy. The law allows Delaware to conduct its own solicitation for this energy or work with neighboring states on a coordinated procurement, which can allow for a larger procurement size and more market certainty. Another key aspect of the law allows large renewable energy developers to use state roadway right of ways for their transmission infrastructure. This creates a more certain pathway for developers to interconnect their projects to the grid and MAREC Action applauds the inclusion of this language in the law.
MAREC Action’s Efforts
SB 265 was supported by a broad coalition that helped ensure its legislative success. MAREC Action worked closely with the Governor’s office and bill sponsor to help ensure the bill got across the finish line and testified in support of the bill at multiple committee hearings. Along with other industry groups American Clean Power and Oceantic, we were joined in our support by both labor and environmental groups who understand the overwhelming benefits offshore wind power will bring to the First State.
Next Steps
Looking ahead, the pipeline of offshore wind projects on the East Coast is strong and growing, with a new lease off the coasts of Maryland and Delaware auctioned off by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Managment (BOEM) last month. BOEM has already released additional call areas in the Mid-Atlantic for review that will eventually become lease areas to be auctioned off in future lease sales. SB 265 offers flexibility to the state to determine many aspects of its offshore wind procurement, and MAREC Action is excited to see the state begin this process and that this new market will be able to reap the benefits of offshore wind. Additionally, MAREC Action is continuing to address the need for coordinated offshore wind transmission planning, as transmission infrastructure is a key bottleneck in the development of offshore wind projects in the Delmarva Peninsula.