New Jersey getting monopile factory

The State of New Jersey is investing USD 250 million in a monopiles manufacturing facility that will serve the U.S. offshore wind industry.

The facility will be located at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal in Gloucester County and is said to be the largest industrial offshore wind investment in the U.S. to date.

EEW, Ørsted, as well as legislators and members of the building trades are taking part in the project.

Construction on the facility will break ground in January 2021, with production beginning in 2023.

In June, Governor Murphy announced plans to develop the New Jersey Wind Port in Lower Alloways Creek, a first-in-the-nation infrastructure investment that will provide a location for essential staging, assembly, and manufacturing activities related to offshore wind projects.

“Developing New Jersey’s offshore wind capabilities has been a key priority of my Administration since taking office in 2018,” said Murphy. 

“This is the largest industrial offshore wind investment in the United States to date and will create hundreds of high-paying jobs at a time when New Jersey’s economy has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Coupled with the creation of the New Jersey Wind Port that I announced earlier this year, this investment will continue to cement New Jersey as the leader in offshore wind in the U.S.” 

Last summer, Ørsted and EEW signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work towards establishing a monopile fabrication facility in Paulsboro for the Ocean Wind project.

The 1,1000 MW Ocean Wind project will be New Jersey’s first large-scale offshore wind farm. It will feature the 12 MW GE Haliade-X turbines which could provide first power in late 2024.