Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind has announced the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the 2800MW Atlantic Shores Project 1 and 2, off the US coast of New Jersey.
The schemes are a 50:50 partnership between Shell and EDF Renewables.
“We are encouraged to see forward progress and getting another step closer to delivering New Jersey’s first offshore wind projects,” said Atlantic Shores chief executive Joris Veldhoven. “We appreciate BOEM’s thorough environmental evaluation and recognize the significance of this milestone in reaching the Garden State’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2035.”
New Jersey has established the goal to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035, with offshore wind projected to create 11GW of power by 2040. Atlantic Shores Project 1 is the largest offshore wind project in the State of New Jersey and third largest project awarded in the United States, said the developers.
Project 1 has an offtake agreement to generate 1.5GW of energy, enough to power over 700,000 homes. Combined with the 1.3GW Project 2, the entire lease area will produce enough clean energy to power more than 1 million New Jersey homes.
Atlantic Shores is committed to helping New Jersey meet its renewable energy goals through the offshore wind projects while also driving New Jersey’s economy through job creation and workforce development, said the partners.
Atlantic Shores Project 1 alone will bring $848m in guaranteed local economic benefits to the state and have an overall economic impact of $1.9bn for New Jersey, they added.
Atlantic Shores remains dedicated to responsible development, environmental stewardship, and continued engagement with BOEM, regulatory agencies, and the local communities as it work towards a sustainable energy future for generations to come, the developers said.
The FEIS for Atlantic Shores Project 1 and 2 will be published in the Federal Register in the coming days.