LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey is in search of a brand new spherical of proposals to construct wind vitality farms off its shoreline, forging forward with its clear vitality objectives at the same time as native opposition and difficult economics create blowback to the hassle.
The state Board of Public Utilities on Tuesday opened a fourth spherical of solicitations for offshore wind farms, giving corporations till July 10 to submit proposals.
“Advancing this solicitation actually demonstrates that we’re dedicated to seeing the financial improvement that offshore wind is bringing to New Jersey and can proceed to deliver, in addition to the clear vitality that’s so necessary for the residents of the state,” mentioned the board’s president, Christine Guhl-Sadovy.
There are at the moment three preliminarily accredited offshore wind initiatives in New Jersey.
One from Chicago-based Invenergy and New York-based energyRE. Referred to as Main Gentle Wind, can be constructed 40 miles (64 kilometers) off Lengthy Seashore Island and would include as much as 100 generators, sufficient to energy 1 million properties.
One other, referred to as Attentive Power Two, can be constructed 42 miles (67 kilometers) off Seaside Heights and wouldn’t be seen from the shoreline. It’s a three way partnership between Paris-based TotalEnergies and London-based Corio Era, and it will energy over 650,000 properties.
The third is Atlantic Shores, a joint partnership between Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF-RE Offshore Improvement LLC. It will generate sufficient vitality to energy 700,000 properties and can be 8.4 miles (13.5 kilometers) off the coast of Lengthy Seashore Island.
New Jersey has set a objective of getting 100% of its vitality from clear sources by 2035, and it desires to turn into the East Coast chief in offshore wind.
“The sturdy wind assets off New Jersey’s shoreline are well-suited to the event of a strong offshore wind program,” mentioned Kira Lawrence, a senior coverage advisor with the board. “New Jersey stays dedicated to making sure that pure assets together with fish, marine mammals, birds and different wildlife are protected all through the event, development, operation and decommissioning of offshore wind initiatives.”
Many of the state’s environmental teams assist offshore wind as a technique to section out the burning of fossil fuels that contribute to local weather change and the extreme climate that New Jersey and different locations have skilled.
“To realize the required carbon emission reductions to guard our communities from the local weather disaster, we want a serious transition in our vitality sector now,” Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the New Jersey Sierra Membership, wrote in feedback submitted to the board earlier than its vote. “Offshore wind is the longer term, and one in all our best clear vitality options that can profit the native communities right here in our state with out the additional burning of fossil fuels.”
Different feedback despatched to the board oppose offshore wind initiatives as economically unsound and environmentally dangerous.
“If the NJPBU and different businesses together with the offshore wind builders are so positive that there will probably be no unfavourable influence on fishing, tourism or actual property, then these claims ought to be assured within the solicitation, together with acceptable penalties if hurt to the tourism, fishing and actual property values happens,” the group Defend Brigantine Seashore and Downbeach wrote to the board.
Many offshore wind opponents blame site-preparation work for a spate of whale deaths alongside the U.S. East Coast over the previous 12 months and a half. However quite a few federal and state businesses say there isn’t a proof of a hyperlink between the initiatives and the animal deaths. a few of which have been attributed to ship strikes or entanglement with fishing gear.
Final October, the Danish wind big Orsted scrapped plans for 2 wind farms off New Jersey, saying they have been not possible economically.
___
Comply with Wayne Parry on X, previously Twitter, at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
