BOEM completes environmental review for offshore wind farm in New Jersey

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced its completion of the environmental analysis for New Jersey’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, the Ocean Wind 1 wind project, and is planning to approve the project this summer. The final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is available on BOEM’s website, following the public comment phase and three virtual meetings that resulted in a total of 1,389 comment submissions. The Ocean Wind 1 project, a partnership between Ørsted and the Public Service Enterprise Group, plans to build up to 98 wind turbines and up to three offshore substations with an estimated capacity of 1,215-1,440 MW, able to power up to 504,000 homes per year. The turbines are GE Haliade X 12 MW turbines, with construction expected to begin before the end of 2024 and full operation in 2025.

In addition to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approval, further federal, state, and local approvals are required before construction of Ocean Wind 1 can begin. The project is expected to be constructed at least 13 nautical miles southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, with export cables landing in Ocean County and Cape May County, New Jersey. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection have issued the first building permits, which were completed in late April.

In January, Ørsted acquired PSEG’s 25% stake in the project due to changes in government subsidy programs for offshore wind energy. PSEG decided to step down and allow a better positioned tax investor to participate in the project, enabling the project to proceed with a streamlined tax structure. Ocean Wind 2, another project, has also been proposed, which would be located next to Ocean Wind 1, generate an additional 1,148 MW of offshore wind power, and be enough to generate more than 500,000 homes. BOEM is paving the way to build a new clean energy industry in the United States, said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein.

Tags: Orsted,Ocean Wind,New Jersey,first,offshore,wind,park,BOEM,environmental


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