FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Contact: Adil Trehan, adil.trehan@sierraclub.org, 202-630-7275
Trenton -- Today New Jersey Board of Public Utilities awarded offshore wind solicitations to two projects that combined will develop offshore wind capacity of 2,658 MW - the largest offshore wind procurement in the history of the country. The first project will be completed by Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project 1 LLC, which is a joint venture between EDF RE Offshore Development LLC and Shell New Energies US LLC. The second project will be completed by Ocean Wind 2 LLC, a direct subsidiary of Ørsted Offshore North America Inc.
These two projects will power 1.5 million homes combined. They will result in a net greenhouse gas reduction of over 5 million short tons annually, which is about 26% of New Jersey’s current GHG emissions from the electricity sector. Combined, these projects will inject $3.5 billion into New Jersey’s economy, creating 7,000 full- or part-time jobs across the development, construction, and operational phases. New Jersey aims to reach 100% clean energy by 2050 while developing 7500MW of offshore wind by 2035.
New Jersey is quickly becoming the nation’s leader in offshore wind development. This latest procurement will create thousands of family-supporting jobs and help build an industry that will serve other states. New Jersey is already building a manufacturing facility for wind turbine foundations in Paulsboro, NJ and the country’s first port designed to assemble and deliver wind turbines.
Taylor McFarland, Acting Director of Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter, issued the following statement:
“With this procurement, New Jersey has continued to establish itself as a national leader in offshore wind. The clean energy boom is inevitable, and it is critical that New Jersey regulators are taking proactive measures to expand our offshore wind industry. This second offshore wind solicitation of 2,658 MW will help our local businesses and communities benefit from the economic development and improvements in air and water quality associated with offshore wind energy. This is the future and we can either fall behind or stay ahead. I'm happy we’ve chosen the latter.”