An EDF Renewables and Shell joint venture has appointed Danish consultancy COWI to undertake the concept design of the electrical transmission infrastructure for its Atlantic Shores offshore wind lease area in the USA.
The 183,000-acre lease area can support up to 2.5GW of offshore wind development and is located between 8-20 miles off the coast of New Jersey.
COWI said its work includes the design, quantity, and placement of onshore and offshore electrical substations as well as the cables connecting the substations and individual turbines.
The concept design will form a key part of the project’s construction operations plan – a key document that will be submitted during the federal permitting process.
“It’s great that we can support the offshore wind industry at this important time when we see in states such as New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island taking a strong leadership position in the global growth of offshore wind development,” said COWI’s senior market director for wind energy and renewables Jan Behrendt Ibsø.
“Atlantic Shores is one example of how the US is delivering on its commitment to provide nearly 20GW of clean energy to the East Coast by 2035,” Ibsø said.
EDF and Shell acquired the site from previous owner US Wind in December 2018 and the project partners believe the development could be operational by the mid-2020s.