New Jersey Wind Port is a 200 acre or 809 thousand square meters greenfield offshore wind port in Salem County. The wind port will bring the advantage of a purpose-built wharf for offshore wind energy without vertical restrictions and easy access to offshore wind farms.
Logistics is one of the most critical aspects of building offshore wind farms. The New Jersey Wind Farm will be dedicated to delivering components, assembly, and marshaling. This brings down costs and increases efficiencies.
The impact of the wind port on the manufacturing industry is tremendous. When the first phase opens on 2024, its operations will be strategic to implementing offshore wind projects on the East Coast.
Where is the New Jersey Wind Port?
The New Jersey Wind Port is in Artificial Island, Salem County, New Jersey. Artificial Island is also home to 3 nuclear reactors.
The New Jersey Wind Port location is strategic, as it is in the Delaware River leading up to Delaware Bay.
Delaware and New Jersey are on the United States Eastern Coast, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east, where developers will build offshore wind farms.
From a BOEM map, the location of the New Jersey Wind Port is easily identifiable for its access to the Atlantic Coast and the proposed wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean.
The wind port’s groundbreaking ceremony was in 2021, and construction began in the same year.
What are the economic benefits of the New Jersey Wind Port?
The US offshore wind industry is expected to grow to $100 billion. As the New Jersey Wind Port benefits from this opportunity, the state can benefit from $500 million of new revenue from the port.
Some of the most ambitious goals for offshore wind in the US are from nearby East coast states such as North Carolina, New York, and Rhode Island. With the wind port’s strategic location, the East Coast wind belt offshore wind industry is poised to receive an advantage from the New Jersey port. The wind port will act as a supply chain hub connecting the operating bases of these farms to tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers.
The wind port will be a critical piece in the offshore wind ecosystem, in addition to its role in helping the operations and maintenance of the farms. The New Jersey Wind Port will create over one thousand long-term jobs in the state. Also, local manufacturers benefit from local manufacturing, improved equipment staging, and lower costs.
Salem County is also a blue-collar community that will welcome the project to spur economic growth. The construction of the port will provide a steady flow of union construction jobs until completion in 2026.
Who are the tenants of the New Jersey Wind Port?
Orsted is New Jersey Wind Farm’s first tenant. They signed an agreement with New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) in April 2022. Orsted will use the facility for their Ocean Wind Offshore Wind Farm project 15 miles away from the Southern New Jersey coast.
Orsted signed the letter of intent in April 2022 and binding agreements in June 2022
In October 2021, 15 companies other than Orsted also submitted non-binding offers to rent space at the wind port. Some major companies that submitted bids include GE, Siemens, Vestas, and Atlantic Shores.
What are the offshore wind projects in New Jersey?
There are four major offshore wind projects off the coast of New Jersey
| Wind Farm | Estimated Online Year | Turbines | Total Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Shores | 2027 | 125 | 1,500 MW |
| Empire Wind 1 | 2026 | 54 | 810 MW |
| Empire Wind 2 | 2026 | 84 | 1,260 MW |
| Ocean Wind 1 | 2024 | 90 | 1,080 MW |
| Ocean Wind 2 | 2029 | 90 | 1,080 MW |
While the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management allocated leasing, local governments and private companies spearheaded the projects.
The permitting applications are reviewed and approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) within the state boundaries and three nautical miles of the state coastline.
Of the four wind projects, Ocean Wind 1 is the earliest to go online and connect to the grid. It will have an installed capacity of 1,100 MW for 500,000 homes in 2024.
Does New Jersey have wind turbines?
The only wind turbines in New Jersey are the five coastal onshore turbines in Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm, plus Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authorities’ only turbine. There are no offshore wind turbines as of 2022, but the first offshore turbines will start generating electricity by 2024.
How many phases are the New jersey Wind Port?
New Jersey will implement the port in two phases. The first phase will open in 2024.
The second phase extends horizontally along the coast, which will be operational by 2026. The second phase will give ample space for laying down larger components and performing heavy lifting before transportation to the offshore areas.
What are the offshore wind goals of the state of New Jersey?
The goal for the state is to achieve 3.5 GW of installed capacity by 2030 and 7.5 GW installed capacity in 2035 from all offshore wind projects.
EO#28 and EO#92 promoted offshore wind projects by setting the offshore wind goals of New Jersey. Gov. Phil Murphy signed both EOs to reach the net zero goal of 2050 and 50% by 2030.
Does New Jersey have good offshore wind potential?
Like the rest of the US, offshore wind power in New Jersey is relatively untapped. Based on estimates by NREL, as far as 24 nautical miles from the coast of South Jersey can have wind speeds of 8 to 8.5 meters per second.
Wind speeds are even higher at 90 meters above sea level, so 100 to 200-meter tall wind turbines are preferred.
The state of New Jersey will soon harness the power of offshore wind farms!
Will the wind port be expanded further?
Expansion plans for the port beyond the first two phases are currently in the concept phase.