Doug O'Malley
State Director, Environment New Jersey Research & Policy Center
Statement: New projects put New Jersey back on track to meet offshore wind goals
Media Contacts
TRENTON, N.J. – During a special board meeting Wednesday, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities awarded a combined total of more than 3,700 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity to Attentive Energy and Leading Light Wind. That will move New Jersey closer to Gov. Phil Murphy’s goals of 11,000 MW of offshore wind power by 2040 and the state generating 100% of its energy from clean sources by 2035.
The Board’s morning vote awarded 2,400 MW of capacity to Leading Light Wind. Attentive Energy won a project that can generate 1,342 MW. When up and running, these two projects, located more than 40 miles off the Jersey Shore in the New York Bight, will power more than 1.5 million homes combined. The estimated project completion date is in 2031.
Community Offshore Wind, another bidding developer, ended up withdrawing its application. Another offshore wind company, Atlantic Shores, continues to move forward with its project near Long Beach Island.
New Jersey has the technical potential to generate more than 280 Terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity from offshore wind. That’s more than enough to meet the state’s electricity demand, even if the Garden State transitioned its buildings, transportation system and industry to run on electricity instead of fossil fuels.
Doug O’Malley, Director of Environment New Jersey, Research & Policy Center released the following statement:
“These awards bring New Jersey one step closer to meeting our clean energy goals. Coming off the hottest year on record, we need to transition away from fossil fuels and build a future where clean, renewable energy powers our state’s economy.
“The wind off the Jersey Shore – especially in the New York Bight – remains as strong as ever. It’s time to harness that power of the wind to fight climate change and move us off fossil fuels.
“The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has created the roadmap for offshore wind through clear schedules, groundbreaking transmission partnerships with the regional electric grid, and ambitious goals. We thank the leadership of Gov. Murphy and the Board of Public Utilities for making wind power a reality off the Jersey Shore.”