As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to create American jobs, develop domestic clean energy sources and cut carbon pollution, the BOEM proposes to auction the wind energy area, which begins about 7nm off the coast from Atlantic City, as two leases which include the South Lease Area (160,480 acres) and the North Lease Area (183,353 acres).

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said: "Responsible offshore wind energy development has the potential to create jobs, expand our domestic clean energy resources, and strengthen our nation’s economic competitiveness.

"We are another important step closer to harnessing the enormous potential of wind energy off New Jersey’s shores — a resource that could power more than one million homes."

The New Jersey wind energy area, if fully developed, could support up to 3,400MW of commercial wind generation, which is enough to power about 1.2 million homes, according to an analysis prepared for BOEM by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

BOEM is also planning to hold additional competitive auctions for wind energy areas offshore Maryland in August and Massachusetts in the coming year.

 

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