A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark the construction of New Jersey Wind Port, which will serve as a hub for the US East Coast’s nascent offshore wind energy industry.
The first stage of the development will feature a 30-acre (12.1-ha) marshalling area, a heavy lift wharf, dedicated delivery and installation berths, and other laydown areas. Project developers Ørsted and Atlantic Shores are potential users of the site, which could be expanded to 200 acres (81 ha) in the future. GE and Vestas are considering developing nacelle assembly facilities at the port.
Offshore wind is a central component of the state’s Energy Master Plan to achieve 100 percent clean energy by 2050. As part of that plan, New Jersey has committed to producing 7,500 MW of offshore wind energy by 2035.
Offshore wind projects slated for development along the East Coast are expected to require more than USD150 billion of capital investment by 2035.
In June, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy signed the Fiscal Year 2022 state budget that included USD200 million allocated for the development of the New Jersey Wind Port; this is in addition to USD13 million from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and USD44 million in partnership with New Jersey Department of Transportation for dredging. In July, the NJEDA announced AECOM-Tishman as the construction manager for the project.
It will be located on an artificial island on the eastern shores of the Delaware River, southwest of the City of Salem.
