Biden White House OKs Ocean Wind 1 offshore wind project in New Jersey

“The announcement of Ocean Wind 1’s Record of Decision today represents a pivotal turning point not only for Orsted, but for New Jersey’s nation-leading offshore wind industry as a whole,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, an advocate for offshore wind energy. , in a release.

Construction is already underway on the other two large offshore wind projects approved by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

The Vineyard Wind 1 project off Massachusetts and the South Fork Wind project off Rhode Island and New York are expected to generate about 800 megawatts and 130 megawatts of energy, respectively.

Ocean Wind 1 is the largest project of the three. Orsted estimates that Ocean Wind 1 will deliver 1,100 megawatts of energy from up to 98 General Electric Haliade-X wind turbines located about 15 miles off the coast of southern New Jersey. Orsted says the project could power about 500,000 homes, although BOEM has a slightly lower forecast of about 380,000.

“The [approval] represents a critical step toward harnessing clean, renewable offshore wind to power New Jersey’s homes and businesses,” said Allison McLeod, senior policy director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters.

The Interior Department described the approval as a step forward for the offshore wind industry and as “significant progress” toward the Biden administration’s goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 in a release.

“The Biden-Harris administration has worked to accelerate the offshore wind industry across the country — and today’s approval for the Ocean Wind 1 project is another milestone in our efforts to create good-paying union jobs while fighting climate change and powering our nation ., said Minister of the Interior Deb Haaland in the release.

But to meet the administration’s climate goals, proposed wind projects up and down the East Coast will have to overcome steep obstacles, including opposition from Republicans and local residents. Opposition is particularly fierce in Cape May County, where a number of coastal communities will be able to spot the wind turbines from land.

Residents have joined groups such as Protect Our Coast NJ to demonstrate against the project based on concerns ranging from whale deaths to the impact the turbines could have on local tourism. These activist groups have taken legal action against the wind project.

The county has also enlisted lawyers in the work to stop the sea window development. In June, the county voted to add two more law firms to its legal team to challenge federal regulatory decisions and the permits issued to Orsted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Michael J. Donohue, who serves as special counsel for the county, said Cape May County is reviewing BOEM’s decision and “will determine what avenues of legal challenge, if any, exist to pursue.”

In addition to legal challenges, Ocean Wind 1 has suffered from rising interest rates and inflation. The New Jersey legislature narrowly approved a bill last week to allow Orsted to keep federal tax credits in an effort to address what lawmakers described as continuing economic damage from inflation and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite those setbacks, Orsted said in a release that with the BOEM approval, the project remains on track to begin onshore construction this fall and ramp up offshore construction in 2024. The project is expected to begin commercial operations in 2025, according to the company.