New Jersey Seeks to Procure Up To 2.4 Gigawatts in Second Offshore Wind Solicitation

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on July 22 issued a draft guidance document for the second offshore wind solicitation for 1.2 to 2.4 gigawatts of capacity. The first round resulted in the selection of Denmark-based Orsted A/S to develop a 1.1-gigawatt wind project, known as Ocean Wind, off the coast of Atlantic City. The second solicitation will bring the state closer to meeting the goal of  7.5 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035. The move will also support the state’s goal of transitioning to100 percent clean energy by 2050.

The document includes information on the timeline and mechanism of the second solicitation, the application requirement, and the criteria for evaluating applications. The current timeline in the draft guides the agency to consider the second solicitation in September 2020. A virtual public meeting will be held on Aug. 5, and written comments are due by Aug. 19. The agency will accept applications  in December 2020, with a final decision anticipated in June 2021.

The state’s offshore wind procurement schedule, unveiled in March, calls for the next 1.2-gigawatt solicitation to be opened by September, with an award made by the second quarter of 2021. The plan calls for four more rounds in 2022, 2024, 2026 and 2028 to achieve the 2035 goal.

The state is working actively to advance the offshore wind industry. Democratic Governor Phil Murphy on June 16 announced plans to develop an offshore wind port on an artificial island along the Delaware River. The 200-acre New Jersey Wind Port would provide a location for staging, assembly, and manufacturing activities for projects planned along the East Coast. The $300 to $400 million green infrastructure project positions the state as a hub for the U.S. offshore wind industry.