Jersey Shore residents raised concerns Monday night during a public meeting on a wind farm project that would be installed miles off shore in the Atlantic Ocean.
Atlantic Shores, the approved developer of a 110-turbine wind farm off New Jersey, is holding two presentations for the public on Thursday, June 16, the company announced this week.
The sessions will begin at 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Registration is required, and those who register will be able to submit up to three questions that Atlantic Shores officials will answer during the presentations.
One of the main topics of the online presentations will be the visibility of the massive turbines from the shoreline. In July 2021, New Jersey approved Atlantic Shores to erect the 110 turbines 10 to 20 miles off the coast from just north of Atlantic City to Long Beach Island. The company is owned by European power companies Shell New Energies US and EDF Renewables North America.
"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,” Atlantic Shores commercial director Joris Veldhoven said in July 2021. “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.”
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The state Board of Public Utilities approved Atlantic Shores to build out 1,509 megawatts of power. The project will use 13.6-megawatt turbines, officials said. Each will be nearly as large as the Eiffel Tower.
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Credit: Nelson Hsu/NBC
For more than two years, the company has been monitoring wildlife and ecological conditions in the 183,000-acre federal lease zone that Atlantic Shores won at an auction run by the Department of Energy several years ago.
The developer hopes to complete design, environmental review and federal permitting in the next few years.
"The development process for Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind is already underway, including research and permitting. This phase could potentially extend up to five years. Subject to a positive final investment decision, the wind project could deliver electricity by the mid-2020s," according to the company's website.
The other offshore wind developer also approved by New Jersey to build a wind farm is Ørsted, which in 2020 posted a video on YouTube that shows what its turbines will look like from the shore.
Ørsted's wind farm will be built in waters off Cape May.
The first phase of Ørsted's wind farm is expected to be complete by late 2023 and begin generating power in 2024. It is currently second in the federal government's queue of offshore wind projects under review following the Biden administration's approval in May of the Vineyard farm off Massachusetts. Ocean Wind's federal approval is expected by June 2023. The second phase, which was approved at the same time as Atlantic Shores last year, is expected to begin generating power later this decade.
Gov. Phil Murphy is one of the nation's strongest supporters of offshore wind as "a core strategy" to wean the country off fossil fuels. He has set an aggressive goal of 7,500 megawatts in offshore wind by 2035.
Three more rounds of solicitation and project approvals are expected in the next several years.
Atlantic Shores' lease area can fit 100s more turbines, according to previous proposals submitted but not yet approved by the BPU.
One megawatt of electricity is enough to power roughly 190 American homes, according to national estimates, which means the two projects already approved could eventually generate enough electricity for 714,000 homes.
To register for one of Atlantic Shores' June 16 public presentations, CLICK HERE.
