Maryland has opened a new procurement round for offshore wind capacity, days after a U.S. district court struck down former President Donald Trump’s moratorium on offshore wind development.
According to documents released this week, the Maryland Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement is inviting developers holding leases off the state’s coast to submit bids for a 20-year power purchase agreement. The state did not specify the volume it intends to procure, though Maryland has set a target of 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2031.
Orsted, Equinor and US Wind all hold federal leases in the area. The procurement marks the first such process launched in the United States since Trump took office in January 2025 and began what state officials described as a broad challenge to the offshore wind industry, including actions against US Wind’s Maryland Offshore Wind project.
The department will hold a pre-bid conference on 17 December, with questions on the process due by 23 December. Bids must be submitted by 16 January.
A state official said the tender reflects Maryland’s intention to continue expanding its clean-energy portfolio following the court ruling. “This procurement reinforces our commitment to advancing offshore wind development and securing long-term, reliable clean power for Maryland,” the official said.
