By Denise Brush • Offshore Wind Committee Co-Chair
The 2.8 megawatt Atlantic Shores offshore wind project is in limbo following difficulties obtaining local approvals and Trump administration pushback.
Given the dangers of global warming and the importance of clean energy, “It is absolutely vital that we elect a New Jersey administration who will keep this project alive,” said Sierra Club NJ Chapter Director Anjuli Ramos-Busot.
Atlantic City has rescinded its earlier approval for transmission cables to be buried in the city, and Egg Harbor has asked Atlantic Shores for more detail before voting whether to approve a grid connection there.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is using its executive power to pause and review ocean lease approvals and could prevent any future permit approvals that become necessary.
Further, the NJ Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has canceled a planned bid solicitation for offshore wind, which affects Atlantic Shores’ efforts to rebid the project to obtain more favorable terms. The BPU made that decision not because it doesn’t support offshore wind, but because of the extreme headwinds facing the industry.
Atlantic Shores CEO Josh Veldhoven said the venture remains committed to developing offshore wind in New Jersey and is disappointed by the BPU decision.
However, Shell New Energies is attempting to sell its 50% interest in the Atlantic Shores venture.
Although not a single wind turbine has been installed offshore in New Jersey so far, the nascent industry has seen significant supportive investment by the state, including the creation of a wind port in Lower Alloways Creek and a monopile manufacturing center in Paulsboro. Career training and research programs with the state’s institutions of higher education have also been established and fostered.
The adverse developments will likely persist throughout the Trump administration’s four-year term and may spell trouble for two other proposed wind farms in New Jersey: Attentive Energy and Leading Light Wind.