Competition begins for 2.4 GW in New Jersey's 2nd offshore wind tender

New Jersey has opened a second offshore wind solicitation for the state, looking to award up to 2.4 GW of capacity off the East Coast.

The procurement window was launched by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) on Thursday and will be open for applications by December 10, 2020. The tender round will award between 1.2 GW and 2.4 GW of offshore wind projects that will potentially triple New Jersey’s committed capacity from 1.1 GW to 3.5 GW.

The state agency anticipates awarding the offshore wind projects in June 2021.

New Jersey’s first offshore wind solicitation, held last year, was won by Denmark’s Ørsted A/S (CPH:ORSTED) with the 1.1-GW Ocean Wind scheme off Atlantic City, planned to be completed in 2024. The procurement round was the beginning of a series of tenders that the state will organise through 2028 to support its goal of having 7.5 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2035 and reach the ultimate goal of sourcing 100% of its power from renewable energy by 2050.

A third offshore tender for at least 1.2 GW of capacity is planned for 2022.

This week, NJBPU has also given nod to a final version of the state’s offshore wind strategic plan that contains a roadmap for achieving the 7.5-GW target. The agency will continue its collaboration with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to “identify and prioritise the research and monitoring needs of this nascent industry,” it said.

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