GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — The U.S. Coast Guard will hold a public meeting at Stockton University at 6 p.m. Wednesday to discuss proposed shipping safety fairways along the Atlantic Coast and the impact of offshore wind on navigation safety.
Members of the state's fishing and maritime community, the Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are expected to participate, according to a news release sent out by the office of U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd.
Last month, The Associated Press reported that America's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm is officially open about 35 miles east of Montauk Point, New York.
Danish wind energy developer Ørsted and the utility Eversource built a 12-turbine wind farm called South Fork there, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said the turbines are delivering clean power to the local electrical grid.
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South Fork can generate 132 megawatts of offshore wind energy to power more than 70,000 homes, according to the companies.
Ørsted is the same company that backed out of a deal to build much larger wind farms off Atlantic City, saying it had grown too costly. It also was facing lawsuits from offshore wind opponents here.
Meanwhile, Atlantic Shores has said it will continue building its project off South Jersey. It is a partnership between Shell New Energies US and EDF Renewables North America.
Its lease area is 10-20 miles off the coast between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light, according to the company. It has a contract with the state to develop 1,510 megawatts of offshore wind energy, enough to power more than 700,000 homes.
A post-mortem examination of a whale that washed ashore on New Jersey’s Long Beach Island shows the animal sustained numerous blunt force injuries including a fractured skull and vertebrae. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center on Friday released observations from a necropsy done Thursday evening on the nearly 25-foot juvenile male humpback whale that was found dead in Long Beach Township. The whale was found to have bruising around the head; multiple fractures of the skull and cervical vertebrae; numerous dislocated ribs, and a dislocated shoulder bone. Those injuries are consistent with blunt force trauma.
Last year brought challenges for the nascent U.S. offshore wind industry, as Ørsted and other developers canceled projects in the Northeast they said were no longer financially feasible.
High inflation, supply chain disruptions and the rising cost of capital and building materials made projects more expensive as developers were trying to get the first large U.S. offshore wind farms opened.
Industry leaders expect 2024 to be a better year, as interest rates come down and states ask for more offshore wind to meet their climate goals.
The nation's second large offshore wind farm, Vineyard Wind, is expected to open later this year off Massachusetts. The first five turbines are providing power for about 30,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts. When all 62 turbines are spinning, they'll generate enough electricity for 400,000 homes and businesses. Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners are the joint owners of that project.
The meeting at Stockton will be held in the L-Wing Building, Classroom 112.
For more information, email paxton.antonucci@mail.house.gov or call 202-997-9022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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