New Jersey officials have approved two massive offshore wind projects scheduled to produce energy by 2032, but the plans could cost residents $1 billion each year.
The state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) sold the parcels to Leading Light Wind and Attentive Energy Two, which will produce about 3,740 megawatts of electricity combined over the 20-year life of the contracts.
Monmouth County resident Mike Dean told DailyMail.com they are the most expensive contracts signed by the BPU.
Contractors will receive up to $131 per megawatt in the first year, compared to previous bids that started at $80 and went up to $100, Dean said.
The announcement also follows a series of marine fatalities along the New Jersey coast, which appeared to see an increase with offshore wind studies conducted in nearby waters.
The state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) sold the parcels to Leading Light Wind and Attentive Energy Two, which will produce about 3,740 megawatts of electricity combined over the 20-year life of the contracts.
“These latest contracts are further proof that the damages and costs of offshore wind industrialization are limitless,” Dean said.
“Taxpayers are being asked to bear all the egregious costs of these projects in exchange for zero environmental benefits.”
“Paving the ocean is no way to save the planet.”
The BPU chose the two projects because they both generate enough electricity to power 1.8 million homes in New Jersey in an effort to replace fossil fuel-burning generators.
Leading Light Wind said its project will create 7,500 new jobs in the state and add $3.7 billion in economic development.
Attention Energy Two said its project would “generate billions of dollars in economic activity” and generate more than 15,000 years of employment.
BPU officials estimated that the two projects would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 6.4 million tons a year.
DailyMail.com has contacted Leading Light Wind and Attentive Energy for comment.
New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew commented on the projects in a post shared with X.
Contractors will receive up to $131 per megawatt for the first year, compared to previous bids that started at $80 and went up to $100. The announcement also follows a series of marine fatalities along the New Jersey coast, which appeared to see an increase with offshore wind studies conducted in nearby waters.
“Offshore wind energy harms our supply chain, national defense operations, the environment, the fishing industry, the tourism industry of coastal communities and will cause energy rates to skyrocket,” the Republican posted.
Leading Light Wind will provide 2,400 MW, while Attentive Energy Two has committed 1,342 MW.
According to the BPU, the two projects will increase the cost of electricity by “only” $6.84 per month for a typical residential customer, $58.73 for a typical commercial customer and $513.22 per month for a typical industrial customer. , As reported save jerseand.
However, the price is based on 2023 dollars, and with the United States facing high inflation rates, many believe prices will automatically increase, ultimately costing taxpayers more money.
While the cost per customer seems low, Save New Jersey reported that with 3.7 million residents, 538,000 business customers and more than 11,000 industrial accounts, that equates to nearly $1 billion a year that will be paid to the two companies for 20 years.
The BPU also noted that many jobs will be created with the construction of the offshore wind farm: the projects will add 5,128 direct full-time equivalent jobs for one year during the first ten years of operation.
According to the BPU, the two projects will increase the cost of electricity by “only” $6.84 per month for a typical residential customer, $58.73 for a typical commercial customer and $513.22 per month for a typical industrial customer. .
Those jobs are expected to cost $75 million each year, adding $7.5 billion more to electricity bills.
New Jersey has long been planning offshore wind farms along the coast.
Dutch-owned Orsted was set to develop the Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects for southern New Jersey, which would install 98 turbines 15 miles offshore.
Construction was due to begin this fall and was expected to be operational in 2025, but Orsted announced cancellations for both projects last November.
Orsted cited “macroeconomic factors, including high inflation, rising interest rates and supply chain constraints” that led to the decision.
Orsted is believed to have started mining the seafloor with sonar as early as 2016, around the same time record numbers of whales and dolphins began washing up on beaches, according to New Jersey Senator Mike Testa.
In addition to the additional increase in electricity bills, residents are concerned about seeing another mass death of marine life along their beaches. Red markers indicated dead humpback whales from 2022 to 2023.
Sonar is used to map the seafloor for suitable locations for windmills, but many believe the loud sound is disrupting the animals’ movements, sending them onto boats or onto the shore.
But now residents are once again faced with the installation of more wind turbines along their beaches.
However, unlike Orsted, which was moving 15 miles offshore, the two new contractors plan to reach no less than 40 miles inland.
Distance has been an issue for New Jerseyans, who said the towering steel turbines would obstruct coastal scenes.
In addition to the additional increase in electricity bills, residents are concerned about seeing another mass death of marine life along their beaches.
Toms River resident Trisha DeVoe, conservation biologist and Save our Whales activist, told DailyMail.com in a previous interview: “Over the previous 10-year period, from 2013 to 2022, the average number of humpback whales that stranded in New Jersey annually was 2.6.
‘In the 12 months from December 22 to the present, there were 11 humpback whale strandings in New Jersey, more than four times the average of the previous 10 years.
“We hunted whales to near extinction, and scientists estimate we only have 25 to 33 percent of historical numbers before the whaling industry.”
DeVoe did not associate the deaths with wind farm activities, but she and many other Garden State residents are calling for the projects to be stopped until an independent investigation can determine what is killing marine life.
Sonar is used to map the seafloor for suitable locations for windmills, but many believe the loud sound is disrupting the animals’ movements, sending them onto boats or onto the shore.
In 2022, a group of 14 beaked whales fell into the Navy’s medium-frequency sonar activity and became stranded.
Two years later, 34 whales ran aground on North Carolina’s Outer Banks while the Army was conducting offshore sonar training.
However, the US Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reported: ‘As of August 2023, no construction activities related to offshore wind energy have occurred in waters off the coast of New Jersey.
‘The DEP is not aware of any credible evidence that offshore wind-related prospecting activities may cause whale mortality.
“While the DEP has no reason to conclude that the whale mortality is attributable to offshore wind-related activities, the DEP will continue to monitor.”