New Jersey governor Phil Murphy (pictured) has unveiled plans to create a new marshalling and manufacturing port in the Garden State.
The facility will cost $300-400m and will create over 1500 manufacturing jobs and over $500m a year for the economy.
“Offshore wind is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not only protect our environment but also greatly expand our state economy in a way that has immediate impacts and paves the way for long-term growth,” said Governor Murphy.
“The New Jersey Wind Port will create thousands of high-quality jobs, bring millions of investment dollars to our state and establish New Jersey as the national capital of offshore wind.”
The port will be located at Lower Alloways Creek in Salem County on an artificial island on the eastern shores of the Delaware River, southwest of the City of Salem.
The site was selected after a 22-month assessment process, including engagement with industry, government, and environmental stakeholders.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) is leading development and is currently considering a range of public, private, and public-private partnership financing options for the site.
Construction work on the new port will begin next year and the hub will be developed in two phases.
The first phase is due to be complete by 2023 and will feature a 30-acre site to accommodate marshalling activities and a 25-acre component manufacturing site.
A second development phase will begin in 2024 and add over 160 acres of space at the port including new berths, additional marshalling areas and manufacturing space.
Phase 2 is due to be complete by 2026.
Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, said the plans are a concrete step towards creating a US supply chain for offshore wind.
“By providing a location that can accommodate the industry’s manufacturing and marshalling needs, the New Jersey Wind Port will make New Jersey an international leader in offshore wind and a hub of the East Coast wind industry,” she said.