The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that Atlantic Shores, the state’s only remaining approved offshore wind project, will adversely affect whales, other sea mammals and fish, but it will not do them serious harm or kill them.
NOAA, in a biological opinion issued Monday, Dec. 18, also says the project will not endanger any critical environment.
The agency issued the same opinion for the Danish firm Orsted’s Ocean Wind I and II projects in April. Those projects have since been abandoned by Orsted, leaving a giant hole in the state’s projected energy levels from renewable sources. New Jersey is pushing ahead with a goal of having all electricity sold in the state come from zero-emission generation by 2035.
Atlantic Shores is a joint partnership between Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF-RE Offshore Development LLC. Atlantic Shores’ 1,510-megawatt wind farm project, which is slated to be built 9 miles off Long Beach Island and Brigantine, was approved by New Jersey regulators in 2021.
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
