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.
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 »
BPU deems Fishermen’s Energy wind proposal complete, review starts
The Board of Public Utilities deemed Fishermen’s Energy/EDF Renewables’ offshore wind application complete on Tuesday, a spokesman said. It must decide by early November if the small, 25-megawatt demonstration project off Atlantic City will be supported by ratepayer dollars. Some environmentalists have said the project is too small and state developments have made the need for it obsolete. The BPU has 90 days from the Aug. 1 date of application to make its decision under the law, said EDF Regional . . . Complete story »
Developers make third push for AC offshore wind project
Two developers of an offshore wind project proposed for the Atlantic City coast are making their third effort to get the state’s approval for the 25-megawatt wind proposal after former Gov. Chris Christie blocked two similar efforts. EDF Renewables and Fishermen’s Energy, which are backing the Nautilus Offshore Wind Project, have been told the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities will decide whether to approve the project within the next two months, according to Doug Copeland, EDF Renewables regional project . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind: NJ sets stage to add clean energy subsidy to your electric bill
A surcharge coming to your electric bill – one that is meant to encourage offshore wind projects near New Jersey – has begun to take shape. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities released a draft rule that would establish offshore wind energy certificates (ORECs), which are the subsidies that utilities and their customers will pay for energy produced by zero-emission turbines miles off of our coast. The proposed rule gives developers something concrete on prospective revenues to show to lenders who . . . Complete story »
BPU releases draft rules for funding offshore wind in New Jersey
The state Board of Public Utilities released a draft of its proposed rules for offshore wind projects Friday, laying out what offshore wind energy certificates (ORECs) will pay for and how they will be funded. The ORECs will reimburse developers for the construction and 20-year operation of the wind farms that win board approval. They will be funded by ratepayers, and all money the wind farms make from selling electricity into the grid will be returned to ratepayers, according to . . . Complete story »
Fishermen’s Energy wind farm could start construction this winter
A small, 25-megawatt offshore wind project off Atlantic City could start construction this winter if the state Board of Public Utilities approves an application for ratepayer subsidy made by two companies Monday. EDF Renewables North America and Fishermen’s Energy submitted a joint petition for the Nautilus Offshore Wind project, which has all the needed permits and approvals for a site about 2.8 miles out in state waters. Construction would start on land early in 2019, and the three- to four-turbine . . . Complete story »
Third try for offshore-wind project near Atlantic City
Once again, the state is being asked to approve a small offshore-wind pilot project a few miles from Atlantic City. In an application submitted last week, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is being asked to authorize a 25-megawatt demonstration project about three miles offshore of the resort town, a version of the project the state agency rejected as too costly on two previous occasions. The latest proposal, submitted by EDF Renewables North America and Fishermen’s Energy, is vying . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind: NJ, Phil Murphy bet on clean energy, but who will pay?
The winds of change are blowing. By 2050, every single kilowatt of electricity in New Jersey is supposed to originate from a clean fuel source, according to promises made by Gov. Phil Murphy. Offshore wind energy is expected to make up a significant share of that zero-emission generation. Under the state’s ambitious clean energy strategy, 12 years from now 3,500 megawatts – that’s enough juice for about 1.5 million homes – will be generated by the spinning blades of gigantic steel wind . . . Complete story »
BPU proposes offshore wind credit program
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities proposed a rule Wednesday to create an offshore wind funding mechanism, an important step in getting wind farms built off the state’s coast. The Offshore Renewable Wind Energy Certificate rule describes how an offshore wind project would receive funds from the state’s electric ratepayers through electric distribution companies such as Atlantic City Electric. The wind farms would receive ORECs once they start generating electricity, which would allow them to pay back creditors that . . . Complete story »
