The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has awarded a combined 2,658 MW of offshore wind capacity to EDF/Shell’s Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind (1,510 MW) and Ørsted’s Ocean Wind II (1,148 MW) projects, bringing the state’s total planned capacity to over 3.7 GW.
In addition to strong environmental and fisheries protection plans, each project has committed to investing in New Jersey’s burgeoning offshore wind industry by building new manufacturing facilities at the New Jersey Wind Port and utilizing the foundation manufacturing facility at the Port of Paulsboro.
“Expanding New Jersey’s offshore wind industry is a major component of achieving our goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050, while providing significant opportunities and economic benefits for our state,” says Gov. Phil Murphy. “By leveraging a whole-of-government approach and the strengths of our state, this award ensures that our investment in clean energy is also an investment in our communities.”
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to establish New Jersey as the epicenter of a new industry that will provide tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefits when we need it most,” adds Joseph L. Fiordaliso, NJBPU president.
Combined, the two projects are estimated to create 7,000 full- and/or part-time jobs across the development, construction and operational phases of the projects. They will also generate $3.5 billion in economic benefits and power 1.15 million homes with clean energy.
As required by the solicitation, the project developers will also contribute $10,000 per megawatt to fund research initiatives and wildlife and fishery monitoring in the region – totaling $26 million – that will be administered by NJBPU and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Each project also includes a commitment to build a nacelle assembly facility at the New Jersey Wind Port. Atlantic Shores plans to partner with MHI Vestas for this facility, while Ocean Wind will collaborate with GE.
Additional benefits to the region include a green hydrogen pilot facility from Atlantic Shores and a truck electrification pilot project at Port Newark from Ocean Wind.
NJBPU is also engaged in a transmission solicitation managed by regional grid operator PJM Interconnection, seeking ready-to-build options for an open-access transmission solution that can deliver offshore wind energy to the existing grid.
All talk about the big companies and the money, but nothing said about the little companies that don’t have deep pockets but might have answers on how to actually beat the price of fossil fuel systems that are putting the pollutants into our atmosphere.
The small companies that might (or might not) have technologies to address fossil fuel burning are not supposed to be funded by firm contracts such as those signed by NJPBU.These contracts should be for fully developed technologies only, with existing supply chains, which the contracts can stipulate should become local. Small companies at the R&D stage should be financed by other means such as DoE grants.
So, the small companies that might (or might not) have answers are to wait for the government to find them and finance them? Have you ever applied for or received any funding from the DoE? I doubt it, and I doubt if 1 in 100 small companies get any funding or encouragement from DoE.