Following on an executive order issued by Gov. Phil Murphy
in late January, New Jersey regulators this week approved an order to begin
moving the state toward an initial solicitation of 1.1 GW of offshore
wind energy.
In a Feb. 28 order, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
(BPU) directed its staff to prepare the solicitation and engage offshore wind
developers and stakeholders in defining minimum requirements for the
solicitation.
Murphy’s executive
order directed the BPU to fully implement the Offshore Wind Economic
Development Act (OWEDA) and begin the process of implementing a plan for 3.5 GW
of offshore wind energy generation by 2030. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris
Christie signed
OWEDA in 2010, which called for the BPU to develop an offshore
renewable energy certificate (OREC) program, but that original
directive never came to fruition.
Murphy won
the governor’s seat last November and has moved quickly to act on a
campaign pledge to advance the state’s offshore wind industry.
“The benefits of offshore wind extend far beyond the
environment,” BPU President Joseph Fiordaliso said in a
statement. “Offshore wind is an increasingly cost-effective form of renewable
energy that will stabilize energy prices, bring jobs to New Jersey, and
ultimately lower the cost of electricity for New Jersey ratepayers.”
This week’s BPU order directs staff to establish an
interagency Offshore Wind Task Force with the state Department of Environmental
Protection and other applicable state agencies to develop a Strategic Plan for
offshore wind. BPU staff also will initiate a rulemaking process to establish
the funding mechanism for ORECs and recommend plans for a Regional Offshore
Wind Energy Roundtable to initiate discussions with other states in the
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region to explore the potential benefits of regional
offshore wind collaboration.
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