Wind Power News: New Jersey
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
League learns of wind-farm hearing; Thornton urges towns: use caution
SWAINTON – Offshore wind turbines as electricity producers are advocated by the Murphy Administration. A Dec. 13 hearing in Atlantic City before the Board of Public Utilities was discussed at the Nov. 29 Cape May County League of Municipalities meeting. Not so fast, seemed to be the tenor of comments at the session. Vicki Clark, president of the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce asked municipal officials to forward to the chamber any official resolutions that their governments passed regarding . . . Complete story »
Report maps potential environmental impacts of offshore wind energy
A four-year study of planned wind energy areas off the East Coast found that building and operating offshore wind energy arrays could affect some of the region’s most commercially valuable fish species. The report by scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was written to help the federal Bureau of Offshore Energy Management to evaluate development plans for eight offshore wind energy leases issued by the agency. Those areas, extending from the largest proposals to date off southern New . . . Complete story »
Don’t fund small offshore wind project, says ratepayer consultant
Ratepayer funds should not be spent to develop a small offshore wind project first proposed for state waters off Atlantic City by Fishermen’s Energy, according to a consultant for the Ratepayer Counsel. The funds would be better spent on large-scale projects that are already moving forward, David E. Dismukes, of Acadian Consulting Group in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said in testimony presented to the state Board of Public Utilities earlier this month. The proposed 24-megawatt, three-turbine demonstration project was first proposed . . . Complete story »
State advised yet again to reject offshore-wind project near Atlantic City
The state should once again reject a pilot offshore wind project about three miles from Atlantic City, according to a consultant for the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel. In testimony submitted to the state Board of Public Utilities, the consultant argued the 25-megawatt Nautilus Offshore Wind LLC project is too expensive for ratepayers and fails to provide a net economic benefit to New Jersey. The conclusion is significant because the Rate Counsel had backed a previous iteration of the . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind giant Ørsted to acquire Deepwater Wind
The Danish company that wants to build a large-scale offshore wind farm 10 miles from Atlantic City has a deal to acquire competitor Deepwater Wind for $510 million, said its North American President Thomas Brostrøm. The deal, if approved by federal regulators, would turn competitors for New Jersey subsidies for building the first 1,100 megawatts of offshore wind capacity into cooperators. Deepwater also holds a federal lease to develop a wind farm that could serve New Jersey, Deepwater’s leader Jeff . . . Complete story »
Wind energy in NJ
Every few years, New Jersey politicians look for lofty ways to spend our tax dollars. The suggested wind energy located off the N.J. coast will again create the speculative folly that a renewable, emission-free energy will supply three million homes. Wind turbines, installation, maintenance history, economics, and customer energy savings are never a component of any alternative energy proposal. Every glowing presentation lacks overall lifecycle costs, operation and decommissioning costs, and annual subsidies/grants from the state and federal governments (our . . . Complete story »
Stakeholders clash over wind farms
OCEAN COUNTY – A 900 nautical-square-mile area off the coast of Point Pleasant Beach and barrier island towns is being explored by the federal government as a site for wind generation farms. Two areas controlled by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [BOEM] are being considered as leasing sites and they are the focus of competing interests. The areas are prized by local fishermen as rich in scallops and clams and other species that drive the commercial and recreational fishing industries. . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind companies in horse race for ratepayer subsidy
The three offshore wind companies with the ability to build turbines off New Jersey and connect them to the state’s grid are keeping details of their projects under wraps for now. They are in a competition for a ratepayer subsidy to build and run their facilities for 20 years, and that makes them cautious about describing the size and cost of their planned projects, where they will connect with New Jersey’s grid, and how they will minimize cost and maximize . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind energy: fishermen ask for relief
LONG BRANCH – Offshore windmills may be the future of energy here, but they’re presently a source of agitation to commercial fishermen. A vocal group of them, who aren’t necessarily opposed to windmills but just the placement of them on or near fishing grounds, which if you ask them is anywhere the water is salt, gave the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management their two cents at a public meeting Thursday. BOEM oversees offshore wind for the U.S. Department of Interior, . . . Complete story »
Countdown to critical first step in offshore-wind application process
The Murphy administration will solicit applications for offshore-wind farms this fall, an important step that could help developers qualify for lucrative tax credits to defray the cost to consumers. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is expected to open a window to begin accepting applications at its monthly meeting Monday to build up to 1,100 megawatts of offshore-wind farms off the Jersey coast. The move could mark the most significant step the administration has taken to implement its ambitious . . . Complete story »
