ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — An offshore wind power project proposed for New Jersey would have 157 turbines and be located 8.4 miles (13.5 kilometers) from shore at its closest point, data released by the federal government Friday shows.
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it will begin an environmental review Monday of the Atlantic Shores project. It released key details of the project in announcing the environmental review.
New Jersey energy regulators approved Atlantic Shores’ 1,510 megawatt project in 2021. It would generate enough electricity to power more than 700,000 homes.
The federal agency said the project’s operations plan proposes two potential export cable corridors that would make landfall in Sea Girt, New Jersey, with a second one either in Asbury Park or in the New York City area, possibly on Staten Island.
The distance of turbines from the shore and whether they will be visible from the beach, as well as where the power cables would come ashore, have been major points of opposition for some offshore wind foes.
Atlantic Shores is a joint partnership between Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF-RE Offshore Development, LLC.
It is one of three offshore wind projects currently pending in New Jersey, which is trying to become the East Coast leader in offshore wind energy, even as some community groups oppose the projects on environmental and economic grounds.
The state Board of Public Utilities in January chose Attentive Energy LLC and Leading Light Wind LLC to build offshore wind projects.
The groups Protect Our Coast New Jersey and Defend Brigantine Beach and Downbeach filed an appeal to the approval last week in state court, saying that power contracts granted to the project developers violate state law that mandates that any increase in rates for offshore wind must be exceeded by economic and environmental benefits to the state.
BOEM said Friday that Atlantic Shores also would include eight offshore substations, one permanent meteorological tower, and two temporary ocean buoys, for a total of up to 168 offshore structures.
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