The US Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on May 23 released its final environmental impact statement for the Atlantic Shores South Offshore Wind Project, a 2.8-GW complex planned roughly nine miles off the New Jersey coast.
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC is developing the two-phase project, consisting of 1,510-MW and 1,327-MW segments within an approximately 102,000-acre lease area. Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind is a joint venture of Shell PLC subsidiary Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF Renewables Inc., an affiliate of Electricité de France SA.
It would include up to 200 wind turbines and underwater transmission cables on the Outer Continental Shelf possibly landing in Atlantic City and Sea Girt, NJ, with up to 10 offshore substations.
"Completing this environmental analysis is a significant milestone in the administration's drive to realize clean energy ambitions that will enhance the lives of Americans now and for generations to come," Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Elizabeth Klein said in a statement.
A Record of Decision is anticipated July 1. If approved, the project would mark the ninth commercial offshore wind project greenlighted by the Biden administration as part of its goal for the US to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030.
Joris Veldhoven, CEO of Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, in a statement applauded the "forward progress" on "delivering New Jersey's first offshore wind projects."
In 2021, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities awarded the project's first phase an Offshore Renewable Energy Credit deal to deliver 1,510 MW of offshore renewable energy. The project would contribute to New Jersey's target to cover 100% of retail electric sales with clean energy resources by 2035 and add 11 GW of offshore wind by 2040.
The developer declined to cite the project's anticipated total price tag but said that phase one would offer $848 million in "guaranteed local economic benefits" and have an overall economic impact of $1.9 billion for New Jersey.
"The US offshore wind market is moving forward with momentum, today bringing yet another project to the cusp of final construction approval," Sam Salustro, vice president of strategic communications at offshore wind advocacy group Oceantic Network, said in an email. "Once Atlantic Shores South is approved, the US will have more than 12 GW of projects approved for construction, and more expected later this year."
Phase one could begin cable installation in 2025 and wind turbine installation in 2026 ahead of project commissioning in 2027, according to a construction schedule in the impact statement. Phase two is scheduled for commissioning in 2028.
