On Tuesday, April 30, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities opened the fourth round of offshore wind solicitations with interested bidders having until July 10 to submit proposals. This fourth solicitation targets at least 1,200 megawatts and up to 4,000 megawatts of capacity. The BPU document states that “The Board seeks to promote robust competition in this Fourth Solicitation and future solicitations to support the continued development of the offshore wind industry in New Jersey.”

The fourth solicitation was accelerated as the state tries to meet Gov. Phil Murphy’s goal of 11 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind by 2040.

There are currently three approved offshore wind projects off New Jersey’s coast.

Atlantic Shores is located approximately 10 miles off the coast between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light. It is expected to produce 1.5 megawatts of energy sufficient to power 700,000 homes.

Leading Light Wind is located approximately 40 miles off the coast of Long Beach Island. It is expected to produce power for 1 million homes.

Attentive Energy Two off the coast of Seaside Heights is expected to power up to 650,000 homes.

The first two approved wind farm projects in New Jersey were abandoned by the Danish firm Orsted when it withdrew from its commitments on Halloween 2023.

BPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy said the opening of the fourth round solicitation “demonstrates that we are committed to seeing the economic development that offshore wind is bringing to New Jersey and will continue to bring, as well as the clean energy that is so important for the residents of the state.”

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.