Today, Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., announced at the International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum that Ørsted will open an office in Atlantic City, N.J., next month.
“New Jersey welcomes Ørsted’s choice to grow in New Jersey, a decision that will help create clean energy jobs in the state,” Murphy said. “My administration is committed to building a green economy in New Jersey, and it is through investments from companies like Ørsted that this vision will become a reality.”
In January, Murphy signed Executive Order #8, directing the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to fully implement the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act (OWEDA) and begin the process of moving the state toward a goal of 3.5 GW of offshore wind generation by 2030.
Ørsted, formerly DONG Energy, is the developer of Ocean Wind, a proposed offshore wind farm to be located 10 miles off the New Jersey coast. The company’s lease area has the potential to accommodate more than 1 GW of offshore wind.
Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 5,600 people. The company’s North American headquarters are in Boston.
“We are pleased that Governor Murphy has pledged his commitment to bring offshore wind to New Jersey,” said Thomas Brostrøm, president of Ørsted North America. “Our Ocean Wind project will contribute greatly to helping the governor achieve this goal. This latest step comes on the heels of our work in undertaking geophysical surveys of the leased wind farm area to determine characteristics of the site so that we can continue developing this project and make it a reality.”
According to a press release from the governor’s office, a typical Ørsted offshore wind project creates approximately 1,000 jobs per year during a two- to three-year construction cycle, as well as another 100 permanent jobs to support the 25-year life of a typical offshore wind farm.
The New Jersey Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has two proposed lease areas totaling 537 square miles for offshore wind development off the Jersey Shore, 250 square miles of which would include Ocean Wind’s proposed site. These areas could have the capacity of more than 3 GW of offshore wind energy generation, which could provide power to as many as 1.5 million New Jersey homes and businesses.
At the Offshore Wind Partnering Forum, Liz Burdock, the executive director of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, praised the governor’s remarks and his commitment to offshore wind:
“Governor Murphy is a leader in both energy and environmental growth. Offshore wind industry experts from the U.S. and Europe are here to discuss the latest technological advances in offshore wind, specifically designed to help Governor Murphy and other governors who want to expand their economy, generate jobs and protect the environment. It is evident that we are taking both the lessons learned and the technological advances from Europe and applying them to our market. Offshore wind will no longer be considered an expensive, elusive European industry; it will be fully embraced by the U.S. as an economic engine and an important element of the U.S. energy mix.”
In remarks before the forum, New Jersey State Senate President Steve Sweeney urged the work to begin:
“It’s time to get moving again to truly harness the potential we have in New Jersey for offshore wind. New Jersey should be a leader in what is now a growing sector of the economy that generates good jobs at the same time it reduces pollution,” said Sweeney. “The opportunity to develop offshore wind has returned. We’re going to take advantage of this moment and make New Jersey the leader we should be.”
