The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has decided to hold public hearings in response to the submission of the Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) Individual Permit, Waterfront Development Individual Permit (in-water), Coastal Wetlands permit, Freshwater Wetlands Individual Permit, and Flood Hazard Area Verification permit application for Orsted’s Ocean Wind 1 project to construct near shore and onshore components associated with the development of a commercial-scale, offshore wind energy facility within Lease Area OCS-0498 off the coast of New Jersey. The department’s file number for the application is 0000-21-0008.2 LUP220001.
The project includes up to 98 wind turbine generators, inter-array cables, up to three offshore substations, two onshore substations, and two transmission cables making landfall in Ocean County, N.J., and Cape May County, N.J. The project will be located in Berkeley, Ocean and Lacey Townships within Ocean County, and in Ocean City and Upper Township within Cape May County.
The project would contribute to New Jersey’s goal of 11 GW of offshore wind energy generation by 2040 as outlined in New Jersey’s Governor’s Executive Order No. 307, issued on September 21, 2022. Further, the project is intended to fulfill the New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities (BPU) September 20, 2018, solicitation for 1,100 MW of offshore wind that was awarded to Ocean Wind, via the New Jersey BPU on June 21, 2019 (BPU Docket No. QO18121289).
The scheduled public hearings will consist of two virtual hearings and one in-person hearing. Members of the public may participate in the hearing via video conference or by telephone Project information is available to review here. The Application can be reviewed by prior scheduled appointment at the department’s Trenton Office or by requesting an electronic copy of the application here as part of an OPRA request submitted to the Department’s Trenton Office.
