Maryland governor calls for long-term electricity study

Gov. Martin O’Malley has called for a study of the state’s long-term electricity needs, the first of its kind in 20 years.

O’Malley signed an executive order Friday directing the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to produce the study by the end of 2011. The aim is to evaluate what new electricity generation and transmission is needed to keep up with power demand.

“There have been no major new electric power plants or transmission lines in Maryland in more than a decade,” O’Malley said in a statement. “This report will provide data critical to addressing our long-term electricity needs, a major component of our blueprint for securing a clean, reliable and affordable energy future for Maryland families.”

The report will look at future electricity needs and potential sources to meet that demand through 2030.

The last similar report was done in 1990, according to the governor’s office. But since then, the state’s population has grown by 1 million and electricity construction has grown 25 percent.

Read more in the Baltimore Business Journal.