Interior Department to review New Jersey offshore wind proposal

The Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) will review two proposals for wind-energy projects off the coast of New Jersey, the Interior Department announced Tuesday.

Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC submitted the proposals, both of which would be located about 9 miles offshore. The first is projected to have a capacity of 1,510 megawatts. A 30-day comment period will begin once the notice of intent for the projects’ Environmental Impact Statements are published in the Federal Register Thursday.

“The Interior Department is moving rapidly to develop a clean energy future with good-paying union jobs. Offshore wind holds enormous potential for our nation, and the wind resources offshore New Jersey are no exception,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement Tuesday. “As we kick off this process, the Department will continue to do our part to ensure the development of our offshore renewable energy resources is done responsibly and sustainably.”

The announcement comes just under two months after the BOEM announced a separate review of a project that, upon approval, would be the first off the coast of North Carolina. The project, submitted by Kitty Hawk Wind LLC, would comprise up to 69 turbine generators.

New Jersey has set a goal of 7.5 gigawatts of offshore wind power generation by 2035, while the Biden administration has established its own target of 30 gigawatts by 2030. The White House has set a broader goal of reducing carbon emissions 45 percent by the same year.

Meanwhile, the administration has also sought to incentivize renewable energy through proposals such as a Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP), which would create financial incentives for electric utilities that transition to renewable sources. A CEPP is included in the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, but Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has spoken out in opposition to such a measure, saying today that it would pass reliability issues on to consumers.