New Jersey
NRG Bluewater Wind plans to build one of the nation’s first offshore wind park right here in New Jersey. Windpower will help meet our growing energy needs by providing clean, renewable, and pollution–free energy. Bluewater Wind received a $4 million grant from the New Jersey government in 2008 for installing an offshore meteorological tower at our site in 2010. Bluewater Wind has won a state–sponsored competition allowing us to develop a 350 MW wind project off the coast of New Jersey. NRG Bluewater Wind’s wind park will create good new jobs for New Jersey workers and help make New Jersey a leader in the new clean energy economy.
New Jersey’s Energy Need: Clean. Renewable. Pollution–Free.
Most of New Jersey’s energy supply comes from polluting power plants. About 25 percent of the state’s energy needs are met from out–of–state sources. Offshore wind, on the other hand, provides clean, renewable, in–state electricity without adding to the threats of global warming and sea level rise. This fossil fuel-free electricity generates no pollution at all. And since our fuel – the wind – is always free and independent of changes in global oil and gas markets, the price of electricity from an offshore wind park is stable for the life of the project. No other utility–scale power source can guarantee long–term, stable–priced, pollution–free electricity.
Helping New Jersey Meet Its Growing Energy Needs
The state’s demand for energy continues to grow; this growth does not mean, however, that additional polluting power plants need to be built in the Garden State. In fact, a 2004 study by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJ BPU) estimated that there are 24,000 megawatts (MW) of potential wind power off of our coast, enough to power millions of New Jersey homes. This plentiful supply confirms that offshore wind can help meet New Jersey’s energy needs and protect our shores and the environment.
New Jersey has taken a leadership role in the development of offshore wind and serves as a model for the rest of the nation. Governor Jon Corzine set a goal of developing 1,000 MW of offshore wind in New Jersey by 2012 (enough to power 300,000 households), and an additional 2,000 MW by 2020 – for a total of 3,000 MW of clean, renewable energy for New Jersey. This ambitious goal will help the state meet its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) – one of the first in the country – of 30 percent of the state’s electricity coming from renewable resources by 2020. The state, by 2020, must also dramatically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels. Offshore wind is by far the best way for New Jersey to meet its RPS and greenhouse gas reduction requirements.
The NJ BPU is moving quickly to help the Garden State meet Governor Corzine’s goals for a clean energy future. The Board recently awarded Bluewater Wind four million dollars to install a meteorological tower that will measure wind speeds and weather and wave conditions off the coast. These offshore wind resources will provide significant amounts of renewable energy where it’s needed most – near new coastal load centers so that the constrained electric transmission system to the west can be avoided.
Protecting Our Environment and Our View
While offshore wind parks are new to the U.S., the technology is well established and well tested. Some have been operating in Europe since 1991; the Europeans have found in their detailed environmental studies that their offshore wind parks are safe for marine and bird life. The world–class development team that NRG Bluewater Wind has recruited for the U.S. will bring this extensive overseas experience to New Jersey. We also work with leading local experts to ensure that our wind parks fully protect the state’s unique ecosystems. We want to be a partner with the state so that it can take full advantage of the many environmental and economic benefits that offshore wind parks provide.
Our offshore wind park will create clean, green jobs for New Jerseyans for the lifespan of our project. Many new jobs will be created during the construction phase, while operation and maintenance workers will be needed for decades into the future. NRG Bluewater Wind is proud to be a driver in the new, clean economy.
The NRG Bluewater Wind team has identified a potential New Jersey site that is more than 15 highway miles from land. On clear winter days, the turbines in our wind park will appear to be less than half of one’s thumb nail and as thin as a pin; on hazy summer days they will be even less visible. Our wind park will provide abundant supplies of clean, renewable, and pollution-free electricity while protecting wildlife, the marine environment, and New Jersey’s scenic seascapes. NRG Bluewater Wind looks forward to working with New Jersey’s broad array of interested stakeholders to build a new, reliable, and clean-energy future for New Jersey, by New Jersey.
