Gov. Phil Murphy’s goal of generating 11 GW of offshore wind power by 2040 is taking shape, but the opportunities for energy companies are coupled with challenges. While small business may have the chance to contract with larger companies in building offshore wind infrastructure, the communities that may be impacted still need to be educated on the many benefits this form of energy will deliver.
These and other related offshore wind development issues were discussed during a panel discussion yesterday at NJBIA’s 4th Annual Energy Policy Conference, held at Delta Hotels by Marriott in Iselin.
According to Crystal Pruitt, external affairs lead for Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC, whose Project 1 initiative would generate 1,510 MW of offshore wind energy – enough power to generate more than 700,000 homes via windmills more than 10 miles off the Jersey coast – selling the vision of offshore wind is difficult. “It’s about communicating and educating the public in a way so they can understand and feel like they’re part of the process. This is important because if you don’t get buy-in from your important key stakeholders, that can quickly kill a project,” Pruitt said.
Karen Imas, senior external affairs manager, offshore wind US, Attentive Energy, and TotalEnergies Renewables USA, LLC, discussed bringing the benefits of offshore wind projects to small and mid-sized businesses in the state.
She said that last week, Attentive and the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP) announced a New Jersey Manufacturing Assessment & Offshore Wind Readiness Gap Analysis, which interviewed 18 small and mid-sized businesses across the state about their interest and capacity to participate in the offshore wind supply chain.
“All of these companies said they could pivot and manufacture parts for the industry,” Imas said. “They want to participate, but they need technical assistance, they need to purchase new equipment, they need new certifications and training.
“This is great intelligence for developers like us to understand how we can work with companies and how we can also work with entities like the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, which is doing a lot of work in this regard with NJMEP, NJBIA and the Small Business Development Centers,” Imas said, adding, “Through our investments, we can bring these companies into the supply chain via contracting.”
This past January, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) awarded Attentive a 1,342-megawatt offshore wind project (called Attentive Energy Two), which is 42 miles off the Jersey coast and is expected to power more than 600,000 homes.
Janice Fuller, former president, Mid-Atlantic for Anbaric Development, where she led efforts to develop offshore wind transmission infrastructure, added that the US offshore industry is expected to invest $65 billion by the end of the decade. “This is huge and creates opportunities for companies big and small,” she said.
When asked about the BPUs considering a pre-build infrastructure (PBI) award (for an underground, single onshore connection consisting of protected cable (about 10 to 12 miles) that would bring approximately 6 gigawatts of power from the Sea Girt National Guard Training Center to a Jersey Central Power & Light substation in Howell Township), Fuller said the effort would realize a $20 billion savings while minimizing the number of cable beach landings and reducing the number of communities physically touched by transmission infrastructure. It will be a single landing point for multiple offshore wind projects.
Imas joked that this would prevent a “spaghetti at the shoreline” scenario.
Michael Porto, senior director, external engagement, offshore development, at Invenergy, which he described as the largest privately held clean energy developer in North America, commented that the full buildout of offshore wind will be a 10-year process. He added that so much can happen in between this time, whether it’s, for example, political, domestic, economic, or supply chain issues. However, he said, “We need to embrace offshore wind for energy independence and take advantage of this power off the Jersey coast. We must seize the moment.”
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