Eleven companies have expressed an interest in developing wind projects off the New Jersey coast as part of a federal process that will ultimately determine the development of offshore leases for these projects, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced.
‘This robust response from offshore wind developers makes it clear that commercial interest in development of wind turbines is strong,’ says Bob Martin, commissioner of the New Jersey DEP. ‘It also solidifies New Jersey's role as a national leader in the development of green energy that will provide jobs, economic growth and cleaner air while reducing carbon dioxide emissions.’
The firms submitting project nominations include Offshore MW LLC, Neptune Wind LLC, Garden State Offshore Wind Energy I LLC, Bluewater Wind New Jersey Energy LLC, TCI Renewables Inc., Mainstream Renewable Power, enXco Development Corp., U.S. Wind Inc., New Jersey Offshore Wind LLC, Fishermen's Energy of New Jersey LLC and Iberdrola Rewewables Inc.
Ranging in size from 350 MW to 3 GW, the proposed projects represent approximately 12.5 GW total. Multiple project proposals overlap the same federal leasing blocks, meaning that the total power generation capacity of the wind facilities constructed would ultimately be much less than the total of the projects submitted in the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) call for information and nominations.
The proposed leasing area encompasses 418 square nautical miles between Barnegat Light and Avalon. This leasing area begins seven nautical miles off the shoreline and extends up to 23 nautical miles into the ocean, encompassing 43 entire federal leasing blocks and parts of 34 others.
BOEMRE will now evaluate the call for information and nominations and must complete a qualifications review of all of the applicants before determining whether competitive interest exists. If BOEMRE determines competitive interest does exist, the agency will determine the structure of the competitive process leading to final bidding for leases.
