Ocean Wind 1 is 1.1 gigawatt offshore wind project located in the federal waters off the coast of New Jersey. The New Jersey government highlights the project as part of the sustainable energy transition of the East Coast.
The large-scale Ocean Wind Project is one of the biggest in the US offshore wind industry. The developer will add the 1,100-megawatt wind farm to New Jersey before 2030. Consequently, the project will help realize the 100% renewable target of the state by 2050.
Ocean Wind 1 is the first offshore wind project in New Jersey, but it won’t be the last. The offshore wind market and New Jersey’s clean energy economy are expanding.
The state of New Jersey aims for 3.5 GW in 2030. By 2035, the state aims for a 7.5 GW installed capacity for its clean energy ambitions. The plan involves two other 1,000+ megawatt offshore wind projects going online before the decade ends.
Where is Ocean Wind 1?
Located in the Atlantic Ocean, Ocean Wind 1 is just 15 miles away from the nearest coastline in Southern New Jersey.
Ørsted will assemble the turbines from the New Jersey Wind Port starting in 2024.
The wind farm will connect to the onshore electric grid at Lacey Township. In 2022, Ørsted petitioned for a second interconnection point at Ocean City, New Jersey. These two landfall points will connect to the farm via an underground export cable.
In both locations, Ørsted will connect the high voltage substations to the onshore grid.
Water bodies close to the wind farm are the Delaware river and Maurice River. Rehoboth beach, the New Jersey Wind Port under construction, and the New Jersey Nuclear generating stations are famous landmarks within the vicinity.
Who owns Ocean Wind 1?
Ørsted US Offshore Wind owns 75% of the Ocean Wind 1 Project via a joint venture. PSEG (Public Service Enterprise Group) owns the remaining 25% as of April 2021.
Ørsted established its US subsidiary, Ørsted US Offshore Wind, in 2019. In the same year, the company also acquired Deepwater Wind. Deepwater Wind is the company operating Block Island Wind Farm, the only commercial offshore wind farm in the US.
Ørsted US Offshore Wind is a subsidiary company affiliated with Ørsted, the world’s leading offshore wind energy company. The company has 1,000 turbines in onshore wind farms and more than 1,000 offshore wind turbines.
Ørsted is also a global leader in renewables, including solar farms, energy storage facilities, green fuels facilities, and renewable hydrogen. The company is also the industry’s most sustainable energy company, especially after it divested all of its oil business in 2017.
As a global leader in the offshore wind industry, the company invests heavily in the US in two offshore wind farms. The company had already been awarded six projects in the country.
What are the economic benefits of Ocean Wind 1?
Ørsted is boosting the monopile manufacturing industry in the USA in a partnership with EEW and the New Jersey state at the Port of Paulsboro. Ørsted will be encouraging supply chain growth with the new monopile manufacturing site. The site is near the New Jersey wind port.
The project will also help the offshore wind industry mature, as the project will be a 1,100-megawatt addition to the sector. The wind farm’s size is comparable to Europe’s largest offshore wind farms.
The project will create job opportunities and stimulate new jersey businesses in the long term, as the project links to the entire supply chain initiatives of New Jersey. Ørsted had already signed a letter of intent for a 2-year lease with the New Jersey Wind Port starting in 2024. The port will create 200 jobs during construction.
Large subcontractors such as Jingoli Power and Burns & McDonnell have pledged to hire locally from local union organizations.
How many turbines does Ocean Wind 1 have?
Ørsted proposes to install 99 turbines in the Ocean Wind area.
The company will use the cutting edge of offshore wind development for the turbines, GE Haliade-X 12 MW.
When is the first power of Ocean Wind 1?
The wind farm aims to connect to the grid by May 2024. Ørsted issued construction contracts for the substations and underground cabling in the first quarter of 2022.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) in June 2022 and will receive comments until July 2022. The comment period will move the offshore wind project forward and encourages stakeholder participation.
How much power will Ocean Wind 1 produce?
The wind power from Ocean Wind 1 has an offshore wind capacity of 1,100 MW or 1.1 GW. The wind farm can power the electricity in half a million homes in New Jersey.