New Jersey has selected both Atlantic Shores and Orsted in its latest 2.7GW offshore wind solicitation.
The former, a partnership between EDF Renewables and Shell, won with a 1.6GW bid in the southern part of its lease area around 17km from shore.
Officials told a meeting of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities the project will feature 13.6MW Vestas turbines and will be operational in two phases across 2027 and 2028.
Atlantic Shores’ project, which aims to begin construction in 2024, includes a number of investments and initiatives, including an agreement to train and hire local workers for the construction and maintenance of the wind project and a 10MW green hydrogen pilot with South Jersey Industries.
“Thank you to the Board of Public Utilities for their thorough and well-run process. We are thrilled to be moving forward with our project and cementing our commitment to deliver clean, renewable power and well-paid jobs to the Garden State for years to come,” said Joris Veldhoven, Commercial and Finance Director at Atlantic Shores.
“As offshore wind prepares to take off in the United States, this is a critical moment to lay the groundwork for workforce training and supply chain development. Our robust project includes a number of essential initiatives to train local workers and bring manufacturing jobs to the state that will ensure New Jersey workers and the local economy reap tremendous benefits.”
Orsted, meanwhile, secured backing for its 1.1GW Ocean Wind 2 project, which will deploy GE Haliade-X 14MW turbines.
The project will come online in three phases across 2028 and 2029.
Officials said the developer and GE will establish a nacelle assembly plant for the project at the New Jersey Wind Port.
“With the selection of Ocean Wind 2, New Jersey is now firmly at the heart of the American offshore wind industry,” said David Hardy, CEO Ørsted Offshore North America.
“We thank the BPU and Governor Murphy for having the confidence in Ørsted to deliver over 2,000 MW of offshore wind energy, and for further strengthening the partnership between our company and the Garden State. We’re thrilled to grow this global industry alongside the State of New Jersey, as well as help all communities in the State benefit from the offshore wind industry.”
Both projects will also use EEW foundation manufacturing facilities to be set up at Paulsboro and invest $3.5bn in the state, officials added.
The facility will be home to 500 full-time jobs and represents an investment of $250 million into southern New Jersey, said Orsted.
The two developers were the only bidders in the round, New Jersey’s second offshore wind solicitation.