Offshore Wind Energy

State Blows Away Blue Ribbon Panel on Offshore Wind

At a December 11, 2008 meeting, the NJ Board of Public Utilities confirmed that NJ will no longer conduct a 350 megawatt (MW) offshore wind pilot project, as recommended by the Blue Ribbon Panel. The purpose of the pilot project was to “determine if it is appropriate to build additional projects,” as well as to determine feasibility. Now the State has committed to three times the pilot, building 1,000 MW of offshore wind generation by 2012.

Money Blowing in the Wind

On December 5, 2008, COA submitted comments on the NJ Clean Energy Program Budget which would make $12 million in state money available to fund offshore meteorological towers for offshore wind projects. COA questioned whether this was the best way to spend limited funds in seeking to establish offshore wind, and noted the lack of consideration given to other planning needs, such as ecological baseline studies or assessments of onshore infrastructure needs. To read our comments, click here.

NJ Seeks Developers for Offshore Wind Pilot Project

On October 4, 2007, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) unanimously approved an offshore wind competitive grant solicitation with up to $19 million in funding to support the financing and development of an offshore wind pilot project. The BPU is seeking proposals from developers to build a pilot project that will have an aggregate capacity of up to 350 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The Blue Ribbon Panel’s Final Report indicates that approximately 80 turbines would produce 350 MW. The BPU expects to choose a winning solicitation by March of 2008.

This Solicitation does not follow the Blue Ribbon Panel’s recommendation of a pilot project following important baseline studies. The State has allocated $4.5 million for an 18-month, ecological, baseline study of certain birds, marine mammals, turtles, and other offshore species. The study has not yet begun and therefore the BPU will award a contract to a developer before the ecological effects are even assessed. COA is also concerned that the State is only allocating $4.5 million to a complex and important study of the marine environment, but will award over four times as much to a developer to build the project.

Long Island Power Authority's (LIPA) Application to Install 40 wind turbines off Jones Inlet, Long Island, NY

On June 9, 2005, the Army Corps, NY District, publicly noticed LIPA's application for a permit to install an offshore wind energy generating facility and submartine electric cables 3.6 miles offshore of Jones Beach Island. View an electronic copy of the Public Notice here.

The proposed project consists of 40 wind turbine generators on individual steel tower monoplies, with interconnecting submarine electric cbales, an offshore electric substation platform, and a submarine electric transmisssion cable leading from the offshore electric substation to the mainland of Lnog Island and then on to an existing upland electric substation. Scour control mats would be placed on the ocean floor around the base of the towers. COA submitted comments on July 12, 2005 (the extended deadline).

With the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, regulatory authority over LIPA's Offshore Wind Farm application has been transferred from the US Army Corps to US Minerals Management Service (MMS). MMS has determined that LIPA must develop an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed wind farm and requested public comment on the types of impacts (scope) that should be included in the analysis. COA submitted comments to MMS on August 17, 2006.