BOEM to start environmental review of Atlantic Shores projects offshore New Jersey

The US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will kick off the environmental review process for two wind projects proposed by Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC offshore New Jersey, the department said on Tuesday.

Atlantic Shores, equally owned by EDF Renewables North America and Shell New Energies US, has submitted a plan for the construction and operation of two wind farms some 8.7 miles (14 km) off the coast of the state, the first of which will be 1,510 MW in size. The project, targetted to start construction in 2024, was awarded a contract in New Jersey’s offshore wind tender in June.

BOEM will publish a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on September 30. This will be followed by a 30-day public comment period, during which BOEM will gather input on what should be analysed in the EIS.

BOEM plans to complete the review of at least a further six Construction and Operations Plans (COPs) by 2025 to reach at least 16 reviewed COPs, which together represent more than 19 GW of capacity.

The US is also getting ready for lease sales offshore the New York Bight, the Carolinas and California next year. In addition, it is exploring wind potential offshore the Gulf of Maine, Oregon, Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Biden administration has set a goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore wind in the US by 2030.

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