New Jersey has awarded offshore wind contracts to the 1.3-GW Attentive Energy Two and the 2.4-GW Leading Light Wind projects in an accelerated auction round.
Attentive Energy Two is a joint venture between TotalEnergies and Corio Generation. Leading Light, which is expected to start producing power in 2031, is a partnership between U.S. energy firms Invenergy and energyRe.
“Today’s Third Solicitation awards are undeniable proof that the future of offshore wind in New Jersey is as strong as ever,” said Gov. Phil Murphy.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities said the two projects would bring about $6.8 billion in economic benefits to the state and provide enough clean energy to power about 1.8 million homes.
The projects will support the construction of a turbine tower factory at the New Jersey Wind Port and invest in the expansion of the EEW monopile facility at the Port of Paulsboro, the board said in a statement.
The awards came after a tumultuous year that saw the cancellation of several offshore wind projects in the northeast U.S. due to higher costs. In October, Orsted canceled Ocean Wind 1 and 2 off the coast of New Jersey, citing soaring inflation, rising interest rates, and delays in securing ships needed to build the projects.
New Jersey, which plans to build 11 GW of offshore wind energy by 2040, is slated to launch another offshore wind solicitation this year and expects to award those new contracts in early 2025.
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