New Jersey utility regulators are seeking additional offshore wind farm projects to generate electricity, even as opponents of wind power want to pause or halt the projects.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a third solicitation of offshore wind projects Monday; three wind farms have already been approved for the waters off southern New Jersey.
“Today marks a pivotal next step toward accomplishment of our offshore wind development goals,” said Gov. Phil Murphy. “Offshore wind constitutes a crucial component of our journey to 100% clean energy by 2035, a benchmark that solidifies our position at the national forefront of climate action. In addition to safeguarding our communities from the worsening impacts of climate change, this emerging industry will generate thousands of good-paying jobs and economic opportunity across the state.”
The Democratic governor has set a goal of having 11 gigawatts of offshore wind energy in New Jersey by 2040, which could power 3.2 million homes.
In 2019, the board made an award from its first offshore wind solicitation to Danish power company Orsted’s 1.1-gigawatt Ocean Wind I project, the largest single-project award in the country at the time. In 2021, the board made its second and third awards to Ocean Wind II for 1.1 gigawatts and Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind for 1.5 gigawatts.
The offshore wind power industry is being attacked by opponents who say preparation work on the ocean floor may be harming or killing whales.
At least 25 dead whales have washed ashore on the U.S. East Coast since Dec. 1, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Necropsies were conducted on 13 of the 25, revealing that ship strikes were the likely cause of at least eight of the deaths, NOAA said last week.
The most recent death, that of a humpback whale that came ashore last week in Seaside Park, New Jersey, also appears to have been caused by a ship strike, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which did a necropsy on the animal with other agencies. The center cautioned that further testing is needed to determine whether bruises and propeller wounds happened before or after the whale died.