CREST HAVEN – Out there, about 16 miles southeast of Cape May’s shore, lies an ocean parcel that might someday be the site of wind turbines to generate electricity for this area.
While legislators were considering half-dozen bills in Trenton dealing with wind energy, one of which passed April 12, freeholders were briefed about the possibility of having those turbines offshore.
At the April 10 freeholder caucus meeting, Clinton Plummer, vice president, development of Deepwater Wind based in Amagansett, N.Y., gave an overview of what the firm, which has leased the Delaware Wind Energy Area, hopes to accomplish, and ultimately producing 3,500 megawatts of power for the region.
Plummer showed slides of the firm’s five turbines, the nation’s first offshore wind farm at Block Island, R.I. That site powers 17,000 homes and employed 300 during its construction phase and others for maintenance.
He noted the care the firm undertakes to connect with stakeholders early in the siting process, including those in the commercial fishing industry. He said that was exactly what was done at the Rhode Island site, and would be done locally with various groups of commercial fishermen.
Plummer said the firm is advancing a plan to develop, for Maryland, what is termed the Skipjack Wind Farm. Those 15 turbines will be situated on the extreme southern part of the firm’s leased area off the Maryland coast and will generate 368 megawatts of electricity.
Plummer cited two reasons for offshore wind turbines:
* Meteorologists believe the offshore area of the Northeast, with strong, prevalent winds; make it the “Saudi Arabia of wind.”
* The flat, soft, relatively shallow outer Continental Shelf makes turbine construction cost effective 30-plus miles from shore where they cannot be seen from beaches.
Numerous permits would be required to construct any wind turbine, Plummer said, and cited 20 state and federal permits secured for the Block Island project, which required two years.
He noted that no project has been proposed for New Jersey, but that the firm is “hopeful the state will move forward” with solicitations for wind turbine projects given Gov. Phil Murphy’s affirmative statements and the Legislature’s actions.
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton asked about the onshore impact of electric cables from the turbines.
Plummer said the firm has “a great deal of flexibility” for placement. He further added that on Block Island, similar concerns were expressed. There, the firm did horizontal directional drilling under the beach, which minimized impact.
He said all that is seen there are seven manhole covers in a nearby parking lot.
“In several weeks people were back on the beach,” Plummer said. He said there was no impact, and that units are designed to be unobtrusive.
Regarding the Skipjack project in Maryland, Plummer said the firm plans to submit its plans in 2019, which may take up to two years.
Construction is done in two parts, the first year, May through October, working when the weather is favorable for offshore work, the foundation is placed which takes about three months.
The wind turbines are erected in about 18 days, and cables are placed during the second year.
Plummer said Deepwater hopes to develop offshore wind farms that will serve the heavily populated coastal areas between Boston, Mass. and Washington.
That section of the nation is in need of new energy sources to replace aging power plants.
“We can’t do anything until we get customers,” Plummer said.
No freeholder action was required as a result of the presentation.
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