Wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

is in the early stages of development. As of 2022, New Jersey has just six wind turbines, but the state has plans to develop several major offshore wind projects on the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

of the Atlantic Ocean off the southern

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May P ...

. Legislation has been enacted to support the industry through economic incentives and to permit wind turbines on existing piers. In October 2010, the North American Offshore Wind Conference was held in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, site of the US's first on-shore coastal facility. New Jersey is part of the Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium. As of 2013, 9MW were produced by wind power. Despite incentives to spur the industry in the state, development initially lagged with the cancellation of the planned Fisherman's Energy offshore wind project. In 2018, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order to revive subsidies for wind power in the state. In September 2018, the state began to solicit bids for projects offshore.https://www.bpu.state.nj.us/bpu/pdf/boardorders/2018/20180917/9-17-18-8G.pdf In June 2019, the state awarded a contract for a wind farm 15 miles off Atlantic City. to Ørsted US Offshore Wind for Ocean Wind. In November 2019 Murphy signed an executive order which established a wind power target of 7,500 MW by 2035. He increased this goal to 11,000 MW by 2040 in September 2022. In July 2021, the

New Jersey Board of Public Utilities The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) is a regulatory authority in New Jersey "with authority to oversee the regulated utilities, which in turn provide critical services such as natural gas, electricity, water, telecommunications and c ...

(BPU) approved two projects which would bring the state's committed windpower capacity to over 3,000 MW. The BPU announced a third solicitation for 1,200–4,000 MW in December 2022.

Potential

A 2004 study commissioned by NJ BPU concluded that there is significant wind potential along the coast. New Jersey has the potential to generate 373 GWh/year from 132 MW of 80 m high wind turbines or 997 GWh/year from 349 MW of 100 m high wind turbines located onshore as well as 430,000 GWh/year from 102,000 MW of offshore wind turbines. New Jersey used 76,759 GWh in 2011. While less susceptible than areas in southern states, hurricanes could be a threat to wind turbines in the state.

Government interest and incentives

State grants for meteorological stations

In 2009, the New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities awarded grants of up to $4 million to Garden State Offshore Energy, Fisherman's Energy and Bluewater Wind to undertake research of offshore meteorological conditions. The grant to Garden State Offshore Energy was used to install an offshore meteorological buoy to measure wind speeds and weather and wave conditions off the coast. Garden State Offshore Energy is a joint venture between Deepwater Wind and PSEG Renewable Generation.

Offshore Wind Economic Development Act

On August 19, 2010, Governor Christie signed the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act, which provides for financial incentives and

tax credit A tax credit is a tax incentive which allows certain taxpayers to subtract the amount of the credit they have accrued from the total they owe the state. It may also be a credit granted in recognition of taxes already paid or a form of state "dis ...

s to support offshore wind projects. However, Board of Public Utilities, which is charged with implementing key aspects of the legislation, did not finalize all of the regulations necessary to carry out the policy during the Christie administration. Governor Murphy directed the BPU to implement the Act in 2018. Offshore wind projects are eligible to be awarded Offshore

Renewable Energy Certificates Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), also known as Green tags, Renewable Energy Credits, Renewable Electricity Certificates, or Tradable Renewable Certificates (TRCs), are tradable, non-tangible energy certificates in the United States that repres ...

(ORECs) for each megawatt-hour of electricity produced. The value of the OREC can vary with each project's contract; Ocean Wind II will receive $84.03/MWh.

BOEM offshore leases in federal waters

On April 20, 2011, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued "The New Jersey Call for Information and Nominations – Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore New Jersey". The BOEM is responsible for leasing areas of the Outer Continental Shelf which are under federal jurisdiction for energy resource utilization. This Call for information and nominations requested public input regarding the development of offshore wind projects in a designated Wind Energy Area (WEA) located offshore New Jersey. The Call also sought nominations from project developers of areas within the WEA that should be put up for auction for project development. The BOEM received eleven such nominations, and the entire WEA was proposed for development by one or more developers. In July 2014, the federal Department of the Interior and the BOEM proposed sale of leases for nearly covering an area about off the coast of Atlantic City. The area would be divided into two leases, known as the North Area and the South Area. Sales of leases began in November 2015; the leases were allotted to RES America Developments and US Wind. They were later sold, including to EDF Renewables and Ørsted US Offshore Wind.

Existing facilities

Jersey Atlantic Wind Farm

Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm, opened in 2005 in

, is the first coastal

wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turb ...

in the United States. In October 2010, North American Offshore Wind Conference was held in the city and included tours of the facility and potential sites for further development. In February 2011, the state passed legislation permitting the construction of wind turbines along pre-existing piers, such as the Steel Pier.

Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority

The

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...

Municipal Utilities Authority operates a singular wind turbine. Construction of a single turbine tower was completed in January 2012. It is the first wind turbine manufactured by Leitwind to be installed in the USA and the first in the Tri-State (NY-NJ-CT)

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...

. The turbine came on line in June 2012, and is used to power a sewage pumping station. Operational difficulties have kept the turbine off-line for various periods, despite repairs by

Leitner-Poma Leitner-Poma of America, known simply as Leitner-Poma, is a United States aerial lift manufacturer based in Grand Junction, Colorado. It is the American subsidiary of French-based Poma, which is owned by the Italian company HTI Group. The North Am ...

. This is a land based wind turbine, as opposed to the proposed offshore wind farms.

Planned projects

Ørsted Ocean Wind

In 2018, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order to revive subsidies for wind power in the state. In 2018 the BPU received three proposals from private companies to develop wind farms off the coast. In June 2019, the state awarded a contract for a wind farm 15 miles off Atlantic City to Ørsted US Offshore Wind for its Ocean Wind project. It is expected to come online in 2024. The state gave approval for the second phase of the project, Ocean Wind 2, in June 2021.

Atlantic Shores

Atlantic Shores is a proposal by EDF Renewables/Shellm which acquired rights for BOEM OCS-A 0499 (NJWEA North), an area between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light. It submitted proposals to the BPU in December 2020, which approved them in June 2021.

Cancelled projects

Fisherman's Energy

In May 2011, Cape May-based Fisherman's Energy submitted an application to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) under the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act for a demonstration project to build six wind turbines off the coast at Atlantic City called ''Fisherman's Atlantic City Windfarm''. The wind farm was projected to come on line late 2012, but in August of that year the (BPU) announced they would delay until the end of the year acting on the application. A decision was expected on April 30, 2013. A controversial report released in 2012 questions the economic benefits for the state. In March 2014, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities rejected a proposal to build the off-shore wind farm, citing financial irregularities and viability. In May 2014, the federal Department of Energy awarded a grant for up to $47 million calling the project "innovative". The revised plan was to install five 5-megawatt turbines three miles off Atlantic City. The project will test a twisted jacket foundation, which is a new type of offshore platform that is cheaper to make and install than traditional platforms. In August 2014, the Superior Court of New Jersey's Appellate Division order the BPU to reconsider its decision in light of the grant and the financial plan presented by Fisherman's. Ground breaking for the onshore portion of the project took place in December 2014. It is one of the few

offshore wind farms in the United States Offshore may refer to: Science and technology * Offshore (hydrocarbons) * Offshore construction, construction out at sea * Offshore drilling, discovery and development of oil and gas resources which lie underwater through drilling a well * Of ...

to proceed to that stage. After years of wrangling with the BPU, Fisherman's Energy reconfigured its plans in attempt to proceed with the project. The Department of Energy rescinded its grant to the Windfarm in 2017, citing the lack of progress finding a purchaser for the power. Fisherman's Energy laid off all of its staff and suspended its operations. It was later sold to EDF Renewables.

Raritan Bayshore

A single turbine as part of the

Raritan Bayshore The Raritan Bayshore region of New Jersey is a subregion of the larger Jersey Shore. It is the area around Raritan Bay from The Amboys to Sandy Hook, in Monmouth and Middlesex counties, including the towns of Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy, ...

Regional Sewarage Authority facility in Union Beach has been mired in litigation and faces other zoning regulatory hurdles and community opposition, but was permitted by the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

Port Jersey

In 2010 the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...

announced its intention to build five

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...

s at

Port Jersey Port Jersey, officially the Port Jersey Port Authority Marine Terminal and referred to as the Port Jersey Marine Terminal, is an intermodal freight transport facility that includes a container terminal located on the Upper New York Bay in the ...

on the

Upper New York Bay New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

within three years. The windfarm was part of a larger plan to expand the

container port A container port or container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example train ...

on the manmade

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...

to accommodate post-panamax ships. In May 2012, Global Container Terminals announced detailed plan of the port extension. It included a proposal for the installation of 9 wind turbines in order to meet a zero emissions footprint of their crane operation during periods of wind power generation.

New Jersey Wind Port

The

Port of Paulsboro The Port of Paulsboro is located on the Delaware River and Mantua Creek in and around Paulsboro, in Gloucester County, New Jersey, approximately from the Atlantic Ocean. Traditionally one of the nation's busiest for marine transfer operations ...

is located on the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, before ...

and

Mantua Creek Mantua Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in Mantua Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey. Mantua Creek's headwaters are near Glassboro, flowing northwest for 18.6 miles (29.9 kilometers) to the Delaware River at the Port of Paulsboro i ...

in and around Paulsboro approximately 78 miles (126 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. Traditionally one of the nation's busiest for marine transfer operations of

petroleum products Petroleum products are materials derived from crude oil (petroleum) as it is processed in oil refineries. Unlike petrochemicals, which are a collection of well-defined usually pure organic compounds, petroleum products are complex mixtures. The m ...

, the port is being redeveloped as an adaptable ''omniport'' able to handle a diversity of

bulk Bulk can refer to: Industry * Bulk cargo * Bulk liquids * Bulk mail * Bulk material handling * Bulk pack, packaged bulk materials/products * Bulk purchasing * Baking * Bulk fermentation, the period after mixing when dough is left alone to fer ...

break bulk cargo In shipping, break-bulk, breakbulk, or break bulk cargo, also called general cargo, refers to goods that are stowed on board ship in individually counted units. Traditionally, the large numbers of items are recorded on distinct bills of ladin ...

and shipping containers. Studies completed in 2012 concluded that the port was well suited to become a center for the manufacture, assembly, and transport of

s and platforms the development of Atlantic Wind Connection In 2020 Governor Murphy announced the development of the New Jersey Wind Port on

Artificial Island An artificial island is an island that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. Artificial islands may vary in size from small islets reclaimed solely to support a single pillar of a building or structure to those th ...

on the Delaware River.

Statistics

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