US Wind, the Maryland-based offshore wind developer owned by Italy’s Toto Holding, is “willing to explore” the possibility of shifting its planned 750MW project facing the Maryland coast farther out to sea by up to five miles (8km), to quell growing unease about the visual impact.

US Wind’s tentative offer to shift the project farther eastward – a potentially major and expensive change to the layout – comes after a number of local officials in Ocean City, Maryland, expressed misgivings after seeing visual renderings for the first time.