The winning projects, with a combined capacity of 2,658 MW, are expected to deliver major carbon pollution reductions, $3.5B in new investment and 7,000 jobs
TRENTON, N.J.—The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) today announced Offshore Renewable Energy Credit (OREC) awards to both participants, EDF/Shell’s Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind and Ørsted’s Ocean Wind II, that bid into the state’s second offshore wind solicitation. Advancing these projects, totaling 2,658 megawatts (MW) of electricity generating capacity, represents a major step toward the achievement of New Jersey’s goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030. In response to the news, the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition Action (MAREC Action) issued the following statement:
“We applaud Governor Murphy’s visionary leadership and the unanimous decision of New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities to advance two offshore wind projects that will revitalize the state’s economy with an estimated $3.5 billion in new investment and approximately 7,000 new jobs, while taking a huge step forward in the fight to mitigate climate change. Thanks to their large scale, along with technological and supply chain improvements, these projects offer prices roughly 13 percent lower than New Jersey’s first offshore wind solicitation. The scale of these benefits are no accident, they resulted from years of hard work and careful analysis from staff at the Board of Public Utilities and throughout the Murphy Administration to work with communities and consider a wide range of potential impacts.”
In 2019, Governor Murphy set an offshore wind goal of 7,500 MW by 2035. Also in 2019, New Jersey’s first solicitation for offshore wind projects resulted in an award to Ørsted’s Ocean Wind I project with a capacity of 1,100 MW.
Full details on today’s offshore wind award can be found here.