May 7, 2011
New Jersey

New Jersey offshore wind farm another step closer to approval

By Bloomberg News, www.nj.com 6 May 2011

Fishermen’s Energy, an offshore-wind energy developer founded by commercial fishermen, received permits from New Jersey to build a six-turbine demonstration project off the coast of Atlantic City.

Fishermen’s Energy, based in Cape May, New Jersey, received an electric-line easement and licenses to site the project’s six wind turbines 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers) offshore, it said in an e-mailed statement today. The developer also completed a yearlong environmental review to analyze the project’s effects on birds, marine mammals and sea turtles.

The project still needs a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit before construction can begin and the company must choose a turbine vendor and complete financing, Rhonda Jackson, a spokeswoman for Fishermen’s Energy, said today by telephone. It will have power generation capacity of less than 25 megawatts and will cost about $250 million to $300 million, she said.

The Atlantic City project may be in service late next year, making it one of the first commercial offshore wind farms in the U.S. It will be sited in state waters, less than 3 miles from shore, and therefore will not require other federal approval needed when building farther out to sea.

The U.S. Interior Department said in February it may offer wind energy leases by the end of the year for larger projects proposed in federal waters off New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.

Work to lay electrical cables for the Atlantic City project may begin as soon as December, and turbine construction could begin next May, Jackson said.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/05/07/new-jersey-offshore-wind-farm-another-step-closer-to-approval/