The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has approved the plan for construction and operations of the Ocean Wind 1 project, to be located about 15 miles off the coast of southern New Jersey.
The project will have an estimated capacity of 1,100 MW of energy – capable of powering over 380,000 homes – and is expected to create more than 3,000 jobs through development and a three-year construction cycle.
This marks the Biden-Harris administration’s third approval of a commercial-scale offshore wind energy project in the United States. It joins the Vineyard Wind project, off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., and the South Fork Wind project, off the coast of Rhode Island and New York, both now under construction. These projects represent significant progress toward the administration’s goals of developing 30 GW of renewable offshore wind energy by the year 2030.
The Record of Decision (ROD) documents the decision to approve Ocean Wind LLC’s plan to construct up to 98 wind turbines and up to three offshore substations within its lease area.
Liz Burdock, founder and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, applauds the BOEM decision, commenting: “Momentum is building in the U.S. offshore wind industry with two wind farms in the water and the next projects receiving approval to begin construction. The Department of Interior and BOEM are ensuring environmentally responsible advancement of offshore wind projects that create jobs and enable New Jersey, as well as the nation, to remain energy independent with clean, reliable, and affordable electricity.”
The ROD also documents the extensive range of monitoring and mitigation measures that Ocean Wind will undertake to reduce the potential for impacts to protected species, such as marine mammals, sea turtles and Atlantic sturgeon. The measures include vessel speed restrictions and clearance zones during construction.
Ocean Wind has also committed to three fisheries mitigation programs: a direct compensation program for reimbursement of lost revenues, a navigational safety fund for navigation equipment upgrades and a reimbursement program for lost or damaged commercial fishing gear.
“The stamp of approval from BOEM comes after a rigorous environmental and community impact review process, demonstrating the administration’s and the industry’s shared commitment to building clean power in a responsible way,” says Josh Kaplowitz, vice president for offshore wind at the American Clean Power Association.
“Under Governor Phil Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey is poised to be a national leader in offshore wind,” he adds. “ACP looks forward to the next phase of Ocean Wind 1 and the jobs, manufacturing capacity, clean power and energy security that America’s offshore wind industry will produce.”
