U.S. Interior Approves Orsted’s 1.1-Gigawatt Wind Project Off New Jersey

The U.S. Interior Department on July 5 approved the construction and operations of Ørsted’s 1.1-gigawatt Ocean Wind 1 project off New Jersey, the third commercial-scale offshore wind project in the U.S. The project would be capable of supplying over 380,000 homes and is expected to create more than 3,000 jobs through the development phase and a three-year construction cycle.

The other two projects that have received final federal approval are the 130-megawatt South Fork Wind Farm offshore Rhode Island and New York and the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind I development off Massachusetts. In April, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement completed its review of critical design and installation reports for the South Fork Wind project, allowing the project developers – Orsted and Eversource – to begin turbine construction on first commercial-scale in federal waters.

The approval is a key milestone for New Jersey’s offshore wind projects. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has issued a draft environmental assessment for two wind energy projects offshore New Jersey – Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project 1 and Project 2. The combined proposal, referred to as the Atlantic Shores South Wind Project, is a joint venture of EDF Renewables North America and Shell New Energies US LLC. The projects could collectively generate about 2,800 megawatts of electricity if approved.

Among other recent developments, New Jersey has opened the application window for its third offshore wind solicitation, while Massachusetts has issued a draft request for proposals for its fourth solicitation. Connecticut has announced plans for new procurements for grid-scale zero-carbon energy resources including offshore wind.

Last year, the Biden administration set a goal for the U.S. to install 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035, building on the goal of 30 gigawatts by 2030 that was established in 2021.