Offshore Wind

A law signed Thursday by Gov. Christie pushed New Jersey a big step forward in the race to become the first state to erect offshore wind turbines. Legislators said the action could bring hundreds of green-energy jobs to Paulsboro, which they hope will become a hub of turbine manufacturing. Christie hopes to secure the title of first in the nation to attract developers and manufacturers associated with wind power. The law applies the same tool that helped the state become second, behind California, in solar-power.

New Jersey has become a national leader in solar power with the help of a market-based incentive program. Legislative leaders now want to expand the program to include offshore wind projects in hopes of making the state a destination for developers. No offshore wind turbines yet exist in the United States, but states are in a race to be the first and biggest producers. A bill sponsored by Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester) and Minority Leader Thomas H. Kean Jr. (R., Union)

Developing wind turbines off New Jersey's coast would have a "negligible" impact on the environment, according to preliminary results of a two-year study released Friday by the state Department of Environmental Protection. "We now have the science and data needed to take the first steps toward making wind energy projects a reality for New Jersey," Commissioner Bob Martin said in a written statement. Officials said the $7 million study, meant to provide a scientific baseline to direct planning for the turbines, should serve as a model for other states.

TRENTON - New Jersey officials plan to announce Fridaytomorrow the winning proposal to build one of the nation's first offshore wind farms. The Board of Public Utilities is considering five proposals as part of a broader push for alternative energy sources in the state. The companies bidding for the $19 million grant range from one backed by utility PSEG, to a consortium of commercial fishermen. The pilot program will construct offshore wind turbines capable of generating 350 megawatts of power - enough energy to continually power 125,000 homes.

Offshore wind projects that would curb pollution and create jobs are making headway all along the East Coast, but more should be done to advance the fledgling industry, according to a report released Wednesday by clean-energy advocates. The report - prepared by the National Wildlife Federation and cosponsored by Environment New Jersey and more than 35 other organizations - called for an accelerated transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. That goal could be achieved, it said, by easing the long approval process for offshore wind development, investing more in the industry, and targeting high-priority zones off the coast for quicker permits.

How many tourists would travel to Atlantic City to view the nation's first offshore wind farm? Fishermen's Energy, which has proposed building five giant turbines about 2.8 miles off the resort city's beaches, estimates 4.5 million people a year would visit the site, according to a consultant's report that recommends the state should turn down the project because it is too costly. Fishermen's Atlantic City Windfarm anticipates more visitors each year than the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., the Washington Monument, or the Museum of Modern Art in New York, according to a derisive analysis by Acadian Consulting Group that was commissioned by the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel, the state's ratepayer advocate.

New Jersey is hoping to lure an offshore wind manufacturer to the state to help jump-start a green industry, but a lucrative incentive aimed at attracting the business is no longer available. A landmark offshore-wind law enacted by the Christie administration in 2010 offered up to $100 million in tax credits if a manufacturer located its operations in the state, but to qualify, a company had to make its decision by the end of 2012. Lawmakers in both chambers have introduced bills extending the deadline to July 1, 2014.

ATLANTIC CITY - The company planning to build what could be the nation's first offshore wind farm says it's ready to start construction on the multimillion-dollar project as soon as New Jersey officials give their approval. Fishermen's Energy of Cape May wants to build the wind farm about 2.8 miles off Atlantic City. It plans to erect five wind turbines that would produce up to 25 megawatts, capable of powering about 10,000 homes. The company says it hopes the state Board of Public Utilities will issue a decision on its proposal by March.

The potential for wind turbines off the coast of New Jersey passed one more hurdle Thursday, when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that several "priority areas" in the Mid-Atlantic had passed an initial environmental review. That allows the department to begin the process of offering leases to developers. "Offshore wind holds incredible potential for our country, and we're moving full-steam ahead to accelerate the siting, leasing, and construction of new projects," Salazar said.

Two years ago, Gov. Christie stood at a shuttered oil storage facility in Paulsboro and heralded a new era in which wind farms would line the Jersey Shore and the struggling refinery town would be revitalized by a new port and hundreds of new green-energy jobs. But to date, no projects have been approved and a system of ratepayer-funded subsidies that was supposed to get the wind operations off the ground still has not been agreed upon. "Early on, there was a lot of momentum, but now it feels like things have really slowed down," said Matt Elliott of the advocacy group Environment New Jersey.

New Jersey is hoping to lure an offshore wind manufacturer to the state to help jump-start a green industry, but a lucrative incentive aimed at attracting the business is no longer available. A landmark offshore-wind law enacted by the Christie administration in 2010 offered up to $100 million in tax credits if a manufacturer located its operations in the state, but to qualify, a company had to make its decision by the end of 2012. Lawmakers in both chambers have introduced bills extending the deadline to July 1, 2014.

How many tourists would travel to Atlantic City to view the nation's first offshore wind farm? Fishermen's Energy, which has proposed building five giant turbines about 2.8 miles off the resort city's beaches, estimates 4.5 million people a year would visit the site, according to a consultant's report that recommends the state should turn down the project because it is too costly. Fishermen's Atlantic City Windfarm anticipates more visitors each year than the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., the Washington Monument, or the Museum of Modern Art in New York, according to a derisive analysis by Acadian Consulting Group that was commissioned by the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel, the state's ratepayer advocate.

Offshore wind power has gotten off to a slow start in New Jersey, but that has not stopped the developers of an ambitious plan to transmit the electricity generated by giant turbines from moving forward with their multi-billion dollar project. The developers of the Atlantic Wind Connection, which envisions building a seabed transmission backbone linking offshore power generators to onshore customers, are rallying political support for the project, casting it as a cost-effective solution that will make New Jersey the center of the nation's offshore power industry.

In the Region   Plan for giant wind farms off N.J.   Atlantic Wind Connection announced Tuesday that it selected New Jersey for the first phase for its transmission project that envisions connecting giant offshore wind farms to the power grid. The Princeton consortium's plans call for converting power generated by wind turbines to high-voltage direct-current electricity that would be transmitted to the mainland by undersea cables. The power would be converted on offshore platforms about 260 feet long, 165 feet wide and 11 stories above the water, according to its application filed with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management . The NJ Energy Link would connect offshore power to users in northern, central and southern New Jersey.

Atlantic Wind Connection announced Tuesday that it has selected New Jersey for the first phase for its transmission project that envisions connecting giant offshore wind farms to the power grid. The Princeton consortium's plans call for converting power generated by wind turbines to high-voltage direct-current electricity that would be transmitted to the mainland by undersea cables. The power would be converted on offshore platforms about 260 feet long, 165 feet wide and 11 stories above the water, according to its application filed with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Two years ago, Gov. Christie stood at a shuttered oil storage facility in Paulsboro and heralded a new era in which wind farms would line the Jersey Shore and the struggling refinery town would be revitalized by a new port and hundreds of new green-energy jobs. But to date, no projects have been approved and a system of ratepayer-funded subsidies that was supposed to get the wind operations off the ground still has not been agreed upon. "Early on, there was a lot of momentum, but now it feels like things have really slowed down," said Matt Elliott of the advocacy group Environment New Jersey.

The U.S. Department of Interior made a critical determination Monday that benefits Atlantic Wind Connection, the Google-funded company that wants to construct a sea-floor transmission system to connect offshore wind turbines to the electrical grid. The Interior Deparment's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management declared there to be no competitive interest for the use of certain areas of the outer continental shelf, allowing the government to grant the project a right-of-way once its environmental impact is reviewed.

When a port with two ship berths opens late next year in Paulsboro, it will be the first new marine terminal in 50 years on the Delaware. Already, about $70 million has been spent to clear the site, construct a retaining wall on the shoreline, and haul and place 300,000 cubic yards of soil to raise the elevation of the 190-acre site, directly across from Philadelphia International Airport. The port is at a bend in the river, and thousands of cubic yards of sediment have been dredged to deepen the area to 40 feet to accommodate ships.

For the second time this month, a consultant retained by New Jersey has determined that a wind farm proposed for three miles off the coast from Atlantic City has failed to justify the economic benefits of moving forward. The findings place big hurdles in front of the Fishermen's Atlantic City wind farm, the most advanced of several offshore projects vying to build wind turbines to produce pollution-free electricity along the coast of New Jersey. Perhaps more important is that the report seems to reinforce a commitment made by the Christie administration that any offshore wind farm project financed with subsidies from electric and gas customers must produce "a net economic benefit" - a barrier proving difficult to surmount.

The potential for wind turbines off the coast of New Jersey passed one more hurdle Thursday, when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that several "priority areas" in the Mid-Atlantic had passed an initial environmental review. That allows the department to begin the process of offering leases to developers. "Offshore wind holds incredible potential for our country, and we're moving full-steam ahead to accelerate the siting, leasing, and construction of new projects," Salazar said.