The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
has released a draft environmental assessment for a proposed offshore wind farm near New Jersey.
The proposed Ocean Wind 1 offshore wind farm, a joint venture between Ørsted and PSEG, would be sited 15 miles southeast of Atlantic City. Ninety-eight wind turbines would provide up to 1,100 MW of generating capacity under the plan, which also calls for three offshore substations within the lease area.
BOEM's release of the environmental assessment launches a 45-day public comment period. The agency said it would use the report, as well as public feedback, in its decision to approve or deny the project plan.
Ocean Wind's plan that was submitted to BOEM includes construction and installation, operations and maintenance, and conceptual decommissioning for the offshore wind farm. The public comment period ended on August 8.
Ocean Wind said it will use GE’s Haliade-X 12-MW wind turbine with an option to increase capacity to the 13 MW variant, according to a supply agreement announced in January 2021. JINGOLI Power and Burns & McDonnell have been awarded engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts for the installation of two high-voltage substations and nearly nine miles of underground cable.
Engineering work on Ocean Wind 1 is already underway, with construction expected to begin in the summer of 2023. The two contracts should create at least 275 jobs in New Jersey, the parties said. JINGOLI Power will be responsible for installing an underground electric export cable from landfall to B.L. England, the site of the onshore electric substation in Upper Township, and engineer, procure, and install a duct bank/manhole system that will house the export cables.
Burns & McDonnell, meanwhile, will install a substation in Upper Township that includes an interconnection to a nearby Atlantic City Electric substation. The company will also install a substation at Oyster Creek, with interconnection to a nearby First Energy substation, and install an underground export cable from the landfall to the onshore electric substation. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement can be found at: https://bit.ly/3Qy8Bsh
At Hofmann & Schweitzer, we will continue to update you on the status of where and when these excellent construction and maritime job opportunities in the wind energy development field will occur. We will be there for the needs of labor if disaster strikes you and your family.
