Peggy Schultz of Newark is a facilitator for People for Offshore Wind Energy Resources.
In December 2024, Sussex County Council faced a big decision: Approve a permit that would allow clean, renewable energy from offshore wind to flow across our power grid and meet the rapidly increasing demand for electricity or deny the permit and, in doing so, deny Delawareans several great benefits.
Council denied the permit. A bill pending in the General Assembly would reverse that decision.
Senate Bill 159 would require the permitting of electric substations for renewable energy as an allowed use in heavy industrial zones for projects of 250 megawatts or more.
Because the bill would apply only to a decision made in Sussex County, some have portrayed it as an attack on “home rule,” a power granted by the legislature to the counties for making local decisions about land use. Yet SB 159 is not an attempt to erode that authority. The legislature is charged with safeguarding the welfare of all Delawareans.
Delaware needs SB 159. We need more energy to meet demand, and we need more renewable energy to mitigate climate effects.
Demand for electricity is increasing rapidly across the country. PJM Interconnection, the transmission organization that coordinates movement of wholesale electricity in Delaware and beyond, estimates that peak demand on its system will grow 2% in summer and 3.2% in winter each year through 2045.
PJM needs to build capacity to increase the flow of electricity. Projects like the substation that council denied represent an ideal solution.
Developer US Wind needs the substation on Indian River for its 1,700-MW project off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. That substation would be built next to an existing substation that serves a decommissioned coal-burning power plant.
US Wind’s project is fully approved by the federal government and permitted by the state of Delaware. It needs only a conditional use permit from Sussex County to begin construction.
US Wind will pay the entire $400 million cost of the substation. New energy transmitted on the PJM grid would help increase supply over demand, resulting in a price decrease. The project would increase the reliability of the power supply in Sussex and beyond, and construction would provide good local jobs.
Council had no authority to deny the permit. The zoning allows for the use, as the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission noted when it recommended approval.
Yet, in justifying their votes, several council members said they saw no benefit to Sussex. Only then-Council President Michael Vincent — the lone vote to approve — expressed an understanding of the limits on council’s authority over land use: Council controls only the land, not the projects associated with the zoning. And he was the only member to see a broader issue, expressing concern that council would set a precedent that could backfire on Delaware: Facing similar decisions, would jurisdictions beyond our state lines deny us similar benefits?
This is not a local problem. Delaware imports almost all its energy from out of state, and almost all of it is generated by burning fossil fuels.
In voting no, council proved what developers of clean, renewable energy claim is the biggest barrier to getting their much-needed projects online: decisions by local governments. In cases where benefits transcend local boundaries, local governments should not get the final word.
One element unique to Delaware is our position as an attractive place to bring wind power onshore. It is feasible for projects off of Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey to tie into the grid here. The Delaware Energy Solutions Act passed last summer allows for interstate cooperation on development of offshore wind projects.
Onshoring in Delaware would spare developers the laborious, contentious permitting procedure in other states. The faster process equals a less expensive process and provides economies of scale that could lower pricing. It also gives Delaware leverage in negotiating community benefits with prospective developers in the future.
What’s more, Delaware’s Climate Changes Solutions Act sets a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. No other renewable energy technology has the potential of offshore wind to get us near that mark. And Delawareans want it — 77% of us, according to independent polling.
It will be years before the federal government designates new wind energy areas. We can’t afford to send the wrong signals to developers that would do business with us now.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
