New Jersey Sets 7.5GW Offshore Wind Solicitation Schedule

The State of New Jersey has announced the solicitation schedule to meet the 7,500MW offshore wind capacity goal by 2035, with the earliest solicitation expected to be opened by September 2020.

The winner of this 1,200MW solicitation round is to be selected by the second quarter of 2021.

In total, New Jersey plans to hold five solicitation rounds from September 2020 until the first quarter of 2028. The second 1,200MW round in this schedule, and the State’s third solicitation overall, is scheduled for the third quarter of 2022. Another 1,200MW solicitation is expected to open by the second quarter of 2024.

The final two rounds will be for 1,400MW and will open by the second quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2028, respectively.

To be responsive to the evolving market, the schedule has been developed to provide flexibility in terms of the amount being procured with each solicitation and the exact timeline, the State said. There are a number of factors that could influence the timing and the quantity to be procured including transmission solutions and development schedule, the status of additional lease areas, permitting, port readiness, establishment of a supply chain, workforce training, and cost trends.

Reaching 7,500MW of operating capacity will generate enough electricity to power more than 3.2 million homes and meet fifty percent of the state’s electric power need, while supporting an offshore wind industry that will generate billions of dollars in investments in New Jersey’s future and create thousands of jobs.

“Several months ago, I committed the State of New Jersey to 7,500 MW of offshore wind by 2035, as a critical component of achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2050,” said New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy.

“By announcing this planned solicitation schedule, we are demonstrating to our partners in industry and labor that we are committed to implementing this process in a thoughtful way that ensures economic growth for the New Jersey.”

In its first-ever offshore wind solicitation, the New Jersey Board Public Utilities awarded Ørsted with a contract to develop the 1,100MW Ocean Wind project in June 2019. Ørsted expects this first project to be operational by 2024.