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 do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
New Jersey anglers air concerns that wind farms will negatively impact fishing
Can fluke fishing survive wind farms? It was among the worries expressed by roughly 70 New Jersey anglers at a virtual public meeting Wednesday evening hosted by Atlantic Shores, the developer of an offshore wind farm between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light. The partnership of Paris-based EDF Renewables and gas giant Shell, Atlantic Shores wants to erect turbines on 183,000 acres of a federally designed wind energy area between 9 and 20 miles off the coast. One revolution of a . . . Complete story »
City Council raises concerns about offshore wind farm
For the second time in two months, members of Ocean City’s governing body Thursday night expressed dismay about a proposed wind farm that would be powered by nearly 100 gigantic turbines anchored 15 miles off the coast. Touted as a form of clean energy, the project by the Dutch energy company Orsted is a centerpiece of Gov. Phil Murphy’s goal of having 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity in New Jersey by 2035. Members of City Council, though, pointedly asked . . . Complete story »
OC sows doubt on offshore wind plan
OCEAN CITY – A plan for massive wind turbines off the coast received pushback at a recent Ocean City Council meeting, in which a council member questioned its impact on the local tourism economy. “I’m as green as the next guy. I want green energy, OK? But I do not want to mess with a formula that has worked here for 100 years,” said Councilman Michael DeVlieger. Kris Ohleth, a spokeswoman for the energy company Ørsted, gave a presentation at . . . Complete story »
Companies ask N.J. to green light offshore wind farms
The bids are in. Now state regulators will decide if and how the Garden State will triple its commitment to offshore wind. A pair of proposals for new wind farms off the Jersey Shore were submitted to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on Thursday, the final day of a solicitation that began in September. The board will now review the proposals. Gov. Phil Murphy has set a goal for New Jersey to generate 7,500 megawatts of electricity from . . . Complete story »
Developers bid to build more wind farms off NJ coast, tripling capacity
Two offshore wind developers have submitted bids to build wind farms off the New Jersey coast in the second solicitation offered by the state, which is seeking to triple the capacity of electricity generated from the technology. Ørsted, the winner of the first solicitation back in 2019, is once again seeking to build additional offshore wind capacity in southern New Jersey, although the company has not disclosed details of the latest project. The Danish company is already developing a 1,100-megawatt . . . Complete story »
State, regional grid operator hook up to brainstorm bringing wind power ashore
The state is joining with the nation’s largest electrical grid operator to try to answer one of the big questions in offshore wind: how to bring the power from wind farms to customers at an affordable cost. The agreement with PJM Interconnection, a regional grid operator the state has often battled with in recent years, will allow the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to open a competitive bidding process early next year to build transmission facilities for future wind . . . Complete story »
Visibility concern raised in talks with wind power company
In his initial discussion with representatives from Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, a company poised to build the second wind farm in the state, in part off the coast of Long Beach Island, Surf City Councilman Peter Hartney raised concerns about its impact to the community, including shoreline visibility. Atlantic Shores is a 50-50 partnership between Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF Renewables North America. It was formed in December 2018 to co-develop nearly 183,353 acres of leased sea area . . . Complete story »
N.J. begins planning to bring offshore wind power to land
Gov. Phil Murphy has been clear about his goal to bring 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind power – enough electricity for 3.2 million homes – to the Garden State over the next 15 years. Now, with the approval of a new order on Wednesday, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has begun the process of determining exactly how to transfer electricity from turbines in the Atlantic Ocean to power lines on land. The new order requests that PJM Interconnection, LLC – the . . . Complete story »
Cities pass all-renewable plans: A grid threat?
Ballot initiatives that empower cities to seek all-renewable electricity were approved by voters in Ohio and New Jersey last week, marking the spread of a popular idea that has also raised concerns about the impact on the grid. The approved measures will establish new community choice aggregation (CCA) programs in the cities of Columbus, Ohio, and East Brunswick, N.J. Those programs give municipal officials authority to take the lead in contracting with suppliers of wind and solar energy, with the . . . Complete story »
State releases offshore wind strategic plan
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved and published online the New Jersey Offshore Wind Strategic Plan on Sept. 9. The 500-plus-page document is the state’s comprehensive map for achieving 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035. It makes recommendations on establishing an offshore wind industry that achieves net economic benefits while also protecting the environment, commercial and recreational fishing interests, and mitigating the impacts of climate change. While developing the state’s offshore wind resources, the state Department . . . Complete story »