NJ governor kills 2nd bill supporting Fishermen’s offshore wind demo

The New Jersey governor has vetoed a second bill that would have given the 24-MW demonstration offshore wind project by Fishermen’s Energy LLC another chance to win approval.

Bill S988 passed the Legislature, but governor Chris Christie vetoed it, saying it would usurp the Board of Public Utilities' (BPU) authority and undermine its say in energy matters in the state.

In January, Christie vetoed another bill supporting offshore wind that was quite similar to S988.

If the governor had signed the bill, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) would have been directed to open a new application window of 30 days for small offshore wind projects. The bill also removed the requirement for developers to prepare and submit cost-benefit analysis for such projects. Thus, the BPU would not be able to deny approval to Fishermen’s Energy’s project based on the cost benefit analysis, which was the case in previous decisions.

As per its original plan, Fishermen’s Energy intended to initiate onshore building works in 2015 and bring the five-turbine plant online by 2016. It launched transmission infrastructure construction works in December 2014 in order to be sure to qualify for federal tax credits.

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