A bill that that orders a study of offshore windpower passed both houses by a wide margin.
Most Republicans in the House from southern Delaware voted against the measure with only State Sen. Bryant Richardson, R-Seaford, voting against the bill in the other chamber.
The bill, sposored by State Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, directs the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to work with grid operator PJM Interconnection, LLC, to study the transmission impacts of offshore wind development, work with neighboring states on offshore wind transmission, and report back to the governor and the General Assembly.
The bill, on its way to Gov.John Carney, includes an amendment that requires DNREC to consult with all electric utilities in Delaware as well as the the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Division of the Public Advocate in assessing the analysis of the impacts of offshore wind transmission and procurement of electricity from offshore wind projects.
Carney had earlier apppointed a working group to study offshore wind.
The amendment also deletes the provision in the Bill that mandates that DNREC study the impacts on capacity and energy markets.
Delaware tried to be the first out of the gate more than a decade with a project off the coast at Rehoboth Beach. Issues with financial markets and the higher cost of windpower at the time doomed the project.
Since that time, Maryland has approved two offshore projects off Ocean City area and the southern edge of Delaware. New Jersey has also greenlighted massive windpower projects off its southern coast.
Windpower projects have resulted in fierce opposition from the Glasgow-based Ceasar Rodney Institute.. CRI energy chief David Robinson has worked to halt offshore projects off the East Coast, citing dangers to marine mammals and claiming windpower is too expensive with the generating towers hurting tourism.
The Biden Administration has opened up a tract off the Delaware coast for study.
Click here for more details on the bill.
