Ørsted Sponsors Marine Debris Plunder to Clean Local Waterways and Protect Marine Life

OCEAN CITY, MD (October 23, 2023) – Ørsted, a U.S. clean energy leader, was proud to sponsor the third annual Marine Debris Plunder on October 22 in Ocean City, where volunteers removed approximately 1,100 pounds of debris from the state’s coastal bays.

“Ørsted has a deep commitment to leaving nature better than we found it, and sponsoring the Marine Debris Plunder event was a great opportunity to bring the community together to make a meaningful difference for the coastal bays we all love,” said Maddy Voytek, Ørsted’s Head of Government Affairs and Market Strategy for Maryland. “We thank many volunteers who worked tirelessly to remove abandoned crab pots and other debris that threatens marine life in our coastal bays.”

Each year, the Marine Debris Plunder engages the community to remove debris from our waterways and streets and bring it to one location to be weighed and disposed of properly. Ørsted’s west Ocean City property, which will eventually host a zero-emissions offshore wind operations and maintenance facility, served as this year’s weighing and disposal location.

Every year, crab pots become untraceable when they are hit by recreational boats and cut loose from their floats. These “ghost pots” wash into shallow water or marshes where they kill crabs, terrapin, otter, and fish that become trapped inside. By removing 1,100 pounds of ghost crab pots and other debris, Marine Debris Plunder volunteers help keep waterways clear for marine life to thrive.

Ørsted is developing Skipjack Wind, a 966-megawatt offshore wind project that will create thousands of jobs in Maryland, power nearly 300,000 homes with renewable energy, and help the State achieve its clean energy goals.

Ørsted’s commitments in Maryland include: 

• A steel pre-fabrication agreement with Crystal Steel Fabricators in Federalsburg, creating approximately 50 jobs
• An Advanced Foundation Component Center and port upgrades at Tradepoint Atlantic, creating approximately 140 jobs  
• A zero-emissions offshore wind operations and maintenance facility in west Ocean City
• STEM education and workforce grants to ensure the industry’s immense opportunities are available equitably and sustainably.

Ørsted’s sponsorship of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program’s Marine Debris Plunder advances its commitment to building clean energy projects in harmony with nature and creating a net-positive biodiversity impact for all new projects starting in 2030.

About Ørsted

A global clean energy leader, Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and land-based wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants. Ørsted is the first energy company in the world with a science-based net-zero emissions target as validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.

In the United States, the company has approximately 700 employees and a growing portfolio of clean energy assets and partnerships that includes offshore wind energy, land-based wind energy, solar, storage technologies and e-fuels. A leader across the renewable energy sector in the United States, Ørsted holds the top position in offshore wind energy with approximately 5 gigawatts in development and operates America’s first offshore wind farm, located off the coast of Block Island. Ørsted has a total U.S. land-based capacity of 5 gigawatts across wind, solar, storage technologies and e-fuels. To learn more about the Ørsted U.S. business, visit us.orsted.com or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ØrstedUS).