New Jersey has approved two offshore wind projects – EDF/Shell’s Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind and Ørsted’s Ocean Wind II, which have a combined capacity of 2.65GW.
The approval given by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) will help the US state to take its total planned offshore wind capacity to more than 3.7GW.
The state’s Governor Phil Murphy had set a goal of 7.5GW of offshore wind by 2035 and 100% clean energy by the year 2050.
The Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind project will have a capacity of 1.51GW, while the Ocean Wind II project will have 1.14GW capacity.
According to NJBPU, proponents of the two offshore wind projects have committed to construct new nacelle assembly facilities at the New Jersey Wind Port. The parties will leverage the foundation manufacturing facility at the Port of Paulsboro.
Put together, the two offshore wind farms are expected to generate 7,000 full and or part time jobs for their development, construction, and operations.
Governor Murphy said: “Expanding New Jersey’s offshore wind industry is a major component of achieving our goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050, while providing significant opportunities and economic benefits for our state.
“By leveraging a whole-of-government approach and the strengths of our state, this award ensures that our investment in clean energy is also an investment in our communities, and will generate good-paying, union jobs and bring valuable investments to New Jersey.
“Today’s award, which is the nation’s largest combined award to date, further solidifies New Jersey as an offshore wind supply chain hub and leader in the offshore wind industry in the United States.”
The Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind project will be a 50:50 joint venture between EDF Renewables North America and Shell New Energies US, the respective subsidiaries of EDF and Royal Dutch Shell.
It will be built nearly 16-32km off the coast of New Jersey between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light. Construction on the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind project is expected to begin in 2024.
Once operational, the offshore wind farm will provide power to nearly 700,000 homes.
On the other hand, the Ocean Wind II project, which is expected to be commissioned in 2029, will power more than 500,000 homes.
Ørsted plans to develop it adjacent to the Ocean Wind project, located 24km off the coast of Atlantic City.
