New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed Executive Order No. 92, which raises New Jersey’s offshore wind goal from 3,500 MW of offshore wind-generated electricity by 2030 to 7,500 MW by 2035.
The order will help New Jersey meet its goals of reaching 50% renewable energy by 2030 and a 100% clean energy economy by 2050.
“There is no other renewable energy resource that provides us with either the electric-generation or economic-growth potential of offshore wind,” Murphy said. “When we reach our goal of 7,500 megawatts, New Jersey’s offshore wind infrastructure will generate electricity to power more than 3.2 million homes and meet fifty percent of our state’s electric power need. Our offshore wind industry will generate billions of dollars in investments in New Jersey’s future that will, in turn, create thousands of jobs. We have an immense opportunity to maximize our potential and make this region – and, specifically New Jersey – the nexus of the global offshore wind industry.”
“Currently, East Coast states have contracted a combined 8,240 MW of offshore wind electricity generation,” noted Liz Burdock, CEO and president of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “These projects are currently under development, and will have ‘steel in the water’ by 2026. There is no doubt that the U.S. offshore wind industry is moving forward because of strong State leadership and commitment.”
Under Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey has become a national leader in renewable energy sources and offshore wind development. In January 2018, as one of his first acts in office, he signed Executive Order No. 8, which directed 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 3,500 MW of offshore wind energy generation by the year 2030.
Murphy also established the Interagency Taskforce on Offshore Wind, comprising the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Economic Development Authority, the Department of the Treasury, and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, to work collaboratively to establish and support an offshore wind market in the state.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities issued a solicitation for 1,100 MW of offshore wind energy generation and awarded Orsted with the contract earlier this year. The board also developed a proposed timeline to consider two future solicitations for 1,200 MW of offshore wind generation to take place in 2020 and 2022, providing visibility for offshore wind developers, suppliers and stakeholders.
The board also recently adopted the Offshore Wind Energy Certificate funding rule, which establishes the process by which an offshore wind program is funded and how revenues earned from each project flow back to rate payers.
Murphy directed the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to encourage offshore wind industry investment and the development of offshore wind port infrastructure. By establishing the Offshore Wind Tax Credit Program and the Offshore Wind Supply Chain Registry, the state has attracted investment in offshore wind industry and wind-related projects. To support these investments, Murphy signed Executive Order No. 79 to establish a Council for the Wind Innovation and New Development Institute to develop a plan for the creation of a hub for the offshore wind industry.
Executive Order No. 92, which will be effective immediately, directs the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and other state agencies with responsibilities arising under OWEDA to take all necessary actions to promote the development of wind energy off the coast of New Jersey to meet a goal of 7,500 MW of offshore wind energy generation by the year 2035.
Executive Order No. 92 can be found here.
