May 30, 2015
New Jersey

Offshore wind farm shot down again by New Jersey

By Craig McCarthy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | May 29, 2015 | www.nj.com

New Jersey has taken the winds out these “fishermen’s” sails again.

Fishermen’s Energy, a Cape May-based alternative energy developer, lost in its latest attempt for approval to build a wind farm off the coast New Jersey.

The state courts have sided with the Board of Public Utility noting the board did not believe the benefits outweighed “the risks and costs of using an unproven technology to produce electricity,” according to the Press of Atlantic City.

The state regulatory board has twice rejected the five-windmill project off the coast of Atlantic City since the developer, founded by Garden State commercial fishermen, proposed the plan in 2008.

Fishermen’s Energy said it was “wrongly denied approval” and plans to appeal Friday’s decision by the state Appellate Division of the Superior Court.

“We are disappointed by this decision,” the developer’s CEO Chris Wissemann said in a statement. “The project meets the spirit and letter of the Offshore Wind Development Act, bringing jobs and investment into the state and improving the environment.”

Wind power garnered some support from state lawmakers this past December after an environment group issued the report “More Wind, Less Warming,” which said the renewable energy could provide power for 80 percent of homes in the state.

“We appreciate the continued support of the US DOE and our State Legislators,” Paul Gallagher, COO of Fishermen’s Energy, told NJ Advance Media.

“While we will review the opinion carefully over the next few days, it is our intention to bring an Appeal to the New Jersey Supreme Court,” he said in a release.

Fishermen’s Energy was also issued a $47 million grant last year from the federal government toward the construction of the water windmills.

The grant did not change BPU’s position.

Currently, there are no offshore wind farms in the U.S.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/05/30/offshore-wind-farm-shot-down-again-by-new-jersey/