The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has received three bids from companies seeking to develop offshore wind energy, in the state’s fourth round of solicitations.
Few details were released on the three bids, for a project of between 1,000 and 4,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity. At least one represents a new project, but the company’s name was not provided by the BPU, nor were any other details.
A second bid came from Atlantic Shores, winner of the second solicitation for two projects known as Atlantic Shores 1 and 2. The Atlantic Shores lease area is off the coast of Long Beach Island and Atlantic City.
The name and details on the third bidder were not released.
The BPU says it will act on the bids by December. The application process for the fourth solicitation ended on Wednesday, July 10.
The agency allowed companies to rebid previously approved projects. If the BPU approves the new bid submitted as part of the fourth solicitation, the initial award will be canceled and the new terms in the more recent bid would hold.
Atlantic Shores issued a press release on its bid in the fourth solicitation, but that release failed to provide any details other than the fact that the new bid proposes the consolidation of the two projects, Atlantic Shores I and 2, with a combined total of 2,800 megawatts of capacity.
Critics fear that Atlantic Shores is seeking more financial support from the state. Six municipalities in Atlantic, Ocean and Monmouth counties expressed that concern in a January letter, saying, “Atlantic Shores – not the New Jersey ratepayers – should bear the cost of any mistakes it made” in its initial bid.
Atlantic Shores is a joint partnership of Shell New Energies US LLC and the French firm EDF-RE Offshore Development LLC.
The state has recently sped up the schedule for its fifth solicitation to the early part of 2025. The BPU, which has yet to have an offshore wind project begin significant offshore construction, is moving quickly to make awards as it struggles to meet Gov. Phil Murphy’s goal of 11,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2040.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.