CLIMATE WIRE | The Biden administration on Wednesday approved a wind company’s controversial plan to place nearly 100 turbines off the coast of Atlantic City, NJ
The project, Ocean Wind 1, is the third approved offshore wind farm since President Joe Biden took office. The progress helps close the gap to the White House’s goal of developing 16 wind farms by 2025 in support of a broader climate agenda.
“The Biden-Harris administration has been working to jump-start the offshore wind industry across the country – and today’s approval for the Ocean Wind 1 project marks another milestone in our efforts to create well-paid union jobs while mitigating climate change. to go and power our country. Home Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.
Ocean Wind 1, developed by Danish energy company Ørsted A/S, is planned to be located about 15 miles off the coast of New Jersey, where it would produce enough electricity to power 380,000 homes in the Garden State.
Offshore wind is just getting started in the United States, boosted by state and federal support. The first two major projects approved during the Biden administration are currently under construction off the New England coast.
Elizabeth Klein, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management — the federal agency that oversees the leasing and construction of offshore wind energy — called the project “another major step forward for the offshore wind industry in the United States.”
“The approval of the project demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to developing clean energy and combating climate change and is a testament to New Jersey state leadership,” she said in a statement.
The project is the first proposal off the New Jersey coast to be approved by the federal government and would help meet the state’s goal of reaching 11 gigawatts of offshore wind electricity by 2040.
During development and an estimated three-year construction cycle, the project could create about 3,000 jobs, according to the Interior Ministry.
Liz Burdock, CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, said Ocean Wind 1 highlights the economic growth created by the offshore industry.
“Mommament is growing in the US offshore wind industry with two wind farms in the water and the following projects are receiving approval to begin construction,” she said in a statement. “The U.S. supply chain comes to life as factory workers in Paulsboro, New Jersey, fabricators in Baltimore, Maryland, and construction workers at the New Jersey Wind Harbor craft Ocean Wind 1’s turbine components and ports.”
Despite Ocean Wind 1’s progress, the project has also faced headwinds.
Last week, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill granting the project the full economic benefits of federal tax incentives, an effort to counter the inflationary costs that have made offshore wind projects more expensive to build over the past 18 months.
The approval of the project is also likely to spark criticism in the home state.
New Jersey is at the center of pressure from some Republican lawmakers, beach house owners and conservative policy groups who oppose offshore wind for a variety of reasons, including potential impacts on marine life.
Ocean Wind 1 has faced disapproval from coastal communities such as Cape May County, NJ, where local leaders are battling state approvals, saying the wind project could negatively impact tourism.
Last month, offshore wind organizers filed a lawsuit against the state’s approval of the project.
This story first appeared in E&E News PM.
Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2023. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environmental professionals.