(PatriotWise.com) — The Department of Interior announced last week that it approved the Atlantic Shores South project for construction off the coast of southern New Jersey in what would become the state’s first offshore wind farm.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in a July 2 press release that the department had approved nine offshore wind projects thus far that will generate 13 gigawatts of energy, or enough to produce electricity for nearly five million homes. This brings the administration nearly halfway to its set goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.
The Atlantic Shores South project is divided into two wind energy facilities—Project 1 and Project 2—that are to be constructed off the southern coast of New Jersey between Atlantic City and Long Beach Island. The project is expected to generate 2,800 megawatts of electricity, enough for nearly one million homes.
While Atlantic Shores Wind had sought to construct 200 wind turbine generators, the Interior Department approved the construction of 195.
Atlantic Shores Wind CEO Joris Veldhoven said in a July 2 statement that the company was “thrilled” to receive the approval and recognized “the significance of this milestone,” which brings the company closer to delivering the first offshore wind project to the state of New Jersey.
Danish renewable energy company Orsted had been poised to be the first to begin work on wind projects off the coast of New Jersey, but the projects were scrapped last fall after the company determined that they were not economically viable due to supply chain issues.
Veldhoven said the Atlantic Shores South project would inject nearly $850 million into the local economy and have a $1.9 billion economic impact on New Jersey.
New Jersey has set a goal of achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2035.
According to the Interior Department, the Atlantic Shores South project would be constructed roughly 8.7 miles off the coast. However, the company previously said that the closest wind turbines would be at least 12.8 miles out.
Additional approvals from federal regulators, as well as two permits from the state, are still needed for the company’s construction and operation plan before Atlantic Shores Wind can begin construction.
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