New Jersey OKs two new offshore wind farms that would be farther from shore and beachgoers' view
New Jersey utility regulators have given preliminary approval to two new wind farms off the state's coast
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Stung by the pullout of the world's largest offshore wind developer from two projects off the New Jersey coast last fall, state energy regulators on Wednesday approved two new wind farm projects, saying they remain committed to making the state a leader in the nascent industry.
Both the projects chosen by the state Board of Public Utilities would be considerably farther offshore than earlier projects that generated significant opposition from onshore communities, one of whose concerns was that the turbines would be visible on the horizon from the beach.
The board chose projects called Leading Light Wind and Attentive Energy, which together would generate enough electricity to power 1.8 million homes, the board's president, Christine Guhl-Sadovy said. But in statements announcing their applications last year, the companies gave a combined total of 1.6 million homes, slightly less than the number given by state officials.
Damian Bednarz, managing director of Attentive Energy, said his company's project would be built 42 miles (67 kilometers) off Seaside Heights and would not be visible from the shoreline.
“We are over the curvature of the Earth,” he said.
The action brings the state's total of preliminarily approved offshore wind projects to three — the same level it was at before Danish wind developer Orsted scrapped its two wind farms proposed for the state's southern coast in October.
Tim Sullivan, CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, said Wednesday's approvals came “despite the challenges we experienced last fall.”
“As of today, New Jersey and Gov. (Phil) Murphy are back on
Read more on abcnews.go.com
