The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) has received 16 non-binding offers to become tenants at the New Jersey Wind Port from six of the largest turbine manufacturers and offshore wind developers in the world. The offers were made in response to a recent Notice for Sublease of Property. This solicitation result confirms the offshore wind industry’s strong and sustained interest in partnering with the State to turn the New Jersey Wind Port into an internationally recognized offshore wind hub that will drive economic growth and job creation in South Jersey and throughout the Garden State.
“The New Jersey Wind Port is a game-changing investment that establishes New Jersey as the capital of offshore wind in the United States,” said Governor Phil Murphy, “The overwhelming response to this early opportunity to lease space at the Wind Port from the biggest global players in offshore wind shows that we are already well on our way to achieving this vision and driving economic growth that firmly aligns with our environmental goals.”
“I am not surprised that many of the most successful offshore wind manufacturers and developers in the world want to join us in this project,” said Senate President Steve Sweeney. “We have captured the world’s attention with a Wind Port that will be the nation’s first onshore site built with the purpose of servicing an offshore wind industry. It will position South Jersey at the epicenter of the emerging industry for wind farms off the Jersey Shore and along the entire Atlantic Seaboard. The economic benefits will be significant and long lasting. This project will create hundreds of construction jobs, support thousands of ancillary jobs, and generate $500 million in annual economic activity. It didn’t happen by accident. This is the realization of a vision that has been more than a decade in the making, going back to our Offshore Wind Economic Development Act of 2010. It was an investment in New Jersey’s future that capitalized on our strengths, including a highly skilled workforce and an effective transportation infrastructure, and our willingness to invest in the evolving clean energy sector. It is an investment in New Jersey’s future that will put our state in the forefront of a new industry that will offer expanding opportunities for generations to come.”
“We have taken significant steps to competitively and sustainably position New Jersey for the economy of the future,” said Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin. “Our state’s commitment to clean, renewable energy with our investment in offshore wind is just one key example of this bold and ambitious leadership. News from the NJEDA of several global leaders in offshore wind bidding to develop our nation’s largest port makes it is clear New Jersey has captured the world’s attention, and with that we are confident we will move forward with a development plan that best prioritizes the interests of our diverse communities.”
“I am pleased that so many offshore wind energy companies – including some of the largest in the world – have expressed interest in the New Jersey Wind Port,” said Assemblyman John Burzichelli. “With fewer restrictions and greater access to various wind markets, this site is perfectly positioned to serve as a hub for America’s offshore wind industry. Our efforts to establish this port will lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs and will advance our state toward a clean energy future.”
“Not only will this port help our state achieve its clean energy goals, it will also help increase the use of offshore wind throughout the rest of the world,” said Assemblyman Adam Taliaferro. “The interest in the New Jersey Wind Port goes to show just how critical it will be in expanding the offshore wind industry. Enabling environmentally-friendly energy sources while creating good-paying, union jobs is a win-win for our region, and I look forward to seeing this project continue to advance.”
“The New Jersey Wind Port is a critical piece of Governor Murphy’s plan to curb the effects of climate change and set New Jersey on the path to long-term, sustainable economic growth,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “The significant interest we are seeing in the Port from many of the world’s largest offshore wind businesses validates our expectation that building this unique infrastructure resource would attract the attention of the global industry and establish New Jersey as a leader in the U.S. offshore wind industry. Going forward, this will drive investment and job creation in South Jersey and throughout the state.”
“Offshore wind is a major component of New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan and a pillar of the Governor’s plan to achieve 100 percent clean energy,” said New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Joseph L. Fiordaliso. “The development of the New Jersey Wind Port with manufacturing and marshalling facilities will lead to lowering the cost of offshore wind. The interest from leading offshore wind companies in the New Jersey Wind Port shows the critical role this infrastructure project will play in attracting offshore wind projects to New Jersey and provides strong evidence that Governor Murphy’s strategy for attracting offshore wind investment is working.”
“The interest we are seeing in the New Jersey Wind Port demonstrates that we do not have to choose between addressing climate change and creating jobs,” said Jane Cohen, Executive Director, Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy. “Through this project and Governor Murphy’s other efforts to combat climate change, we can drive economic growth, strengthen our workforce, and create family sustaining jobs for all New Jerseyans who want to be in involved in the green economy.”
Offshore wind is a central component of Governor Murphy’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 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035.
The New Jersey Wind Port is a first-in-the-nation infrastructure investment that will provide a location for essential staging, assembly, and manufacturing activities related to offshore wind projects on the East Coast. At full build-out, the Wind Port has the potential to create up to 1,500 manufacturing, assembly, and operations jobs and drive billions of dollars in economic growth.
On September 29th, 2021, the NJEDA posted a Notice for Sublease of Property at the New Jersey Wind Port seeking non-binding offers from offshore wind developers and component manufacturers on four parcels of property at the Port, including two parcels of property that are being purpose-built for offshore wind marshalling, staging, and final assembly of turbines; and two parcels that are being purpose-built for offshore wind turbine component manufacturing and assembly. The deadline for submissions was Friday, October 22nd, 2021.
Six bidders submitted 16 non-binding offers that NJEDA staff have preliminarily determined to be compliant. All bidders put in multiple offers encompassing different parcels, project configurations, and levels of investments. Compliant bidders included offshore wind developers and manufacturers.
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC (Atlantic Shores), Ørsted Wind Power North America LLC (Ørsted), and Beacon Wind LLC (Beacon Wind) are offshore wind developers that submitted offers for Parcels A and B1, which are being purpose-built for offshore wind marshalling, staging, and final assembly of turbines.
All are major players in the US offshore wind industry with projects ranging from Massachusetts to Maryland and have parent organizations with global offshore wind portfolios. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has awarded more than 3,700 MW of offshore wind projects to Ørsted and Atlantic Shores, a 50:50 joint venture between Shell New Energies and EDF Renewables. Beacon Wind, a 50:50 joint venture between Equinor and bp, has been awarded projects by New York State.
GE Renewables US LLC (GE), Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Inc. (SGRE), and Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc. (Vestas) are the three largest offshore wind turbine manufacturers in Europe and the United States. All three have submitted bids for both Parcels C and G, the two manufacturing parcels available at the Wind Port.
Sixteen offers have been preliminarily determined by Authority staff to be compliant with the solicitation’s requirements and will be scored in the coming days. After scoring is completed, the Authority anticipates beginning negotiations with some or all of the parties with compliant bids. The NJEDA Board will review and determine final compliance determinations, scoring, and approval of binding offers and subleases on a parcel-by-parcel basis in months to come, after the Authority completes negotiations.
More information about the New Jersey Wind Port is available at https://nj.gov/windport.
