The US state of New Jersey has scrapped its fourth solicitation for offshore wind capacity.
The state’s Board of Public Utilities said that while there were three initial bidders for the 1.2 GW to 4 GW solicitation, Corio-Total-Rise joint venture Attentive Energy and RWE-National Grid venture Community Offshore Wind have since pulled out, leaving only Atlantic Shores to submit a best and final offer.
Shell’s decision to pull out of the Atlantic Shores joint venture with EDF contributed to the Board’s decision to cancel the solicitation, as well as President Donald Trump’s indefinite delay on new federal permitting.
President, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Christine Guhl-Sadovy said: “A number of reasons led to this decision, notably Shell backing out as an equity partner in the Atlantic Shores project and backing away from the American clean energy market, as well as uncertainty driven by federal actions and permitting.
“The Board concluded that an award in New Jersey’s fourth offshore wind solicitation, despite the manifold benefits the industry offers to the state, would not be a responsible decision at this time.
“The Board is committed to working with Governor Murphy and our sister state agencies to build a successful offshore wind industry in New Jersey”, Guhl-Sadovy added.