New Jersey’s second offshore wind solicitation could top 2.4 GW

New Jersey will seek to procure between 1,200 MW and 2,400 MW of capacity in its second offshore wind solicitation, expected to be issued in September.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has also reserved the right to select less than 1,200 MW or more than 2,400 MW, if circumstances warrant, the recently issued draft Second Solicitation Guidance Document shows.

The current timeline in the draft document anticipates that the deadline for submitting applications would be December. The results of the solicitation are expected to be issued in June 2021.

The selected project or projects are expected to be operational by 2027.

The draft document also includes information on the mechanisms of the second solicitation, the application requirements, and the criteria for evaluating applications.

While the first offshore wind solicitation was for 1,100 MW of energy, this second one will move the state closer to meeting its goal of 7,500 MW of offshore wind energy by 2035, NJBPU said.

“Using lessons learned from our first successful solicitation of 1,100 MW, we are very excited to move forward with our second offshore wind solicitation which could bring the state up to a total of 3,500 MW of offshore wind energy,” said NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso.

“Offshore wind is the linchpin of our clean energy program and will help us reach Governor Murphy’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050, build an innovation economy, and combat the impacts of climate changes.”

NJBPU will hold a virtual public meeting on 5 August to accept public input on the document.