New Jersey announces largest offshore wind commitment in the nation

Environment Massachusetts

Boston – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced a commitment to obtain 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030 in a press conference today, exceeding targets set by Massachusetts and New York.

Ben Hellerstein, Environment Massachusetts State Director, issued the following statement:

“With this commitment, New Jersey is taking a bold stance in favor of a clean, renewable future.

“I’m glad to see that Massachusetts’ offshore wind legislation has inspired officials in New Jersey and New York to go even further. Now, our state’s leaders should increase our commitment to offshore wind to make sure Massachusetts doesn’t fall behind in the race to be the nation’s clean energy leader.

“Our offshore wind potential is enormous. The sooner we can tap into this clean, local resource, the sooner we can achieve 100 percent renewable energy for Massachusetts.”

In 2016, Governor Charlie Baker signed legislation that will require Massachusetts’ utilities to purchase 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2027, equivalent to approximately 10-15% of the state’s electricity demand. Three developers are competing for the first procurement under this legislation, for 400 megawatts of offshore wind power.

New York has adopted a target of 2,400 megawatts of offshore wind.

New Jersey’s commitment, announced today, directs the state’s Board of Public Utilities to issue a solicitation for 1,100 megawatts of wind energy as a first step toward meeting the 3,500-megawatt goal. This solicitation will be the largest in the nation to date.

Offshore wind could provide at least 11 times as much electricity as Massachusetts consumes on an annual basis.