Two offshore wind projects in New Jersey have been given the green light for construction. The projects will produce power amounting to 2.7 GW and were awarded the construction by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) during a unanimous vote. The Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind will have a capacity of 1,510 MW and the Ocean Wind II will have a capacity of 1,148 MW, making them America’s largest combined award to date. The new offshore wind projects will bring New Jersey’s total planned capacity to over 3.7 GW, almost 50% of Governor Phil Murphy’s goal of 7.5 GW of offshore wind by 2035 and 100 percent clean energy by 2050.

Combined, the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind and the Ocean Wind II are estimated to create 7,000 full and part-time jobs across the development, construction, and operational phases of the projects. This brings in nearly 56,000 Full-Time Equivalent job years, as some jobs will be shorter-term and others will last for many years, according to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. The Board also said that each of the projects has committed to investing in the state’s burgeoning offshore wind industry by building new manufacturing facilities at the New Jersey Wind Port. They will use the foundation manufacturing facility at the Port of Paulsboro, injecting billions of dollars in economic benefits into the State while creating tens of thousands of jobs.

They will also generate US$3.5 billion in economic benefits as well as providing power to 1.15 million homes with clean energy. The solicitation required the project developers will to also contribute US$10,000 per MW to fund wildlife and research initiatives and fishery monitoring in the region. This will come to a total of US$26 million that will be administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the NJBPU through a robust stakeholder process, as stated by the board.