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Move lays groundwork for possible farms off coast
BY TOM HESTER SR.
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
UPDATE
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar traveled to Atlantic City Tuesday where he awarded leases to four developers to initially gather data and construct meteorological towers in the Atlantic Ocean from 6 to 18 miles off the New Jersey and Delaware coasts as the first step toward the possible construction of wind farms.
Off New Jersey, Bluewater Wind New Jersey and Deepwater Wind will explore 15 to 18 miles out. With a second lease, Deepwater Wind will go 12 to 15 miles out and Fishermen‘s Energy of New Jersey will go 6 to 9 miles off shore. Bluewater Wind Delaware will go 14 miles off Delaware.
Salazar was joined at the event by Gov. Jon Corzine and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.).
“We are entering a new day for energy production in the United States – a time of clean energy from renewable domestic sources on our Outer Continental Shelf,” Salazar said. “Other nations have been using offshore wind energy for more than a decade. We made the development of offshore wind energy a top priority for Interior. The technology is proven, effective and available and can create new jobs for Americans while reducing our expensive and dangerous dependence on foreign oil.”Corzine said the leases are critical to getting the development of offshore wind turbine projects underway.
“New Jersey’s Outer Continental Shelf is a resource that holds great promise for our energy independence and should be considered a haven for the clean, renewable and environmentally friendly energy that wind power provides. This is a major step for the State meeting its goal of 1000 MW (megawatts) by 2013 and 3000 MW by 2020.”
This lease is a step toward lowering energy costs for families, creating innovative 21st Century industry jobs and reducing our reliance on dirty energy,” Menendez said.
“The leases exemplify the renewable energy initiatives Secretary Salazar has made a top priority and worked to accelerate. Under his efforts, the final regulatory framework for Outer Continental Shelf renewable energy development was completed in the first 100 days of President Obama’s administration.’’
Salazar noted that under federal guidelines, companies must share 27.5 percent of revenues generated from wind farms with adjacent states. The data collected under these leases will be shared with Interior’s Minerals Management Service and used to inform and support future commercial renewable energy projects, such as wind turbine farms, to help coastal states meet mandated renewable energy portfolio standards.
The Corzine administration is actively pursing the development of offshore wind energy through various state initiatives. Last October, the state Board of Public Utilities established a meteorological tower reimbursement program, which provides $4 million per company to help expedite the development of offshore wind farms.
For additional information on the leases and renewable energy, click here.
