Wes Moore Joins Local Officials To Break Ground On New Offshore Wind Construction Facility In Baltimore County

BALTIMORE COUNTY - Governor Wes Moore visited the massive Tradepoint Atlantic development in Baltimore County on Friday to break ground n a new offshore wind energy industry construction facility.

The Tradepoint Atlantic facility is the site of the defunct Bethlehem Steel plant at Sparrow’s Point. The new wind energy development seeks to usher in an economic renaissance for the area and aid Maryland’s efforts to combat climate change.

“Maryland steel led the American economy in the 20th century, and I want Maryland wind to lead the American economy in the 21st century,” Moore said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The new development will be home to a manufacturing facility where Ørsted, one of the two companies planning offshore wind projects in Ocean City, will assemble fabricated steel into parts that support the company’s wind turbines. According to Ørsted, the new facility will create around 125 new union jobs and 20 professional jobs.

Moore used the groundbreaking ceremony to highlight the ongoing efforts to reduce the state’s environmental footprint. During the ceremony, Senator Chris Van Hollen noted that the U.S. Department of Commerce is providing $20 million for apprentice programs to grow offshore wind construction at Tradepoint Atlantic.

“Today is a celebration of a lot of hard work,” Moore said. “A lot of push. A lot of courage. But today is also a sign of Maryland’s very, very bright future.”

“This is what it looks like when business, labor, and government work together,” Jermaine Jones, Baltimore director of the Baltimore-D.C. Metropolitan Building Construction Council, added.