The Executive Order directs the NNJBPU and other state agencies to take actions required to meet the goal of 7.5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2035

pinwheel-3714863_640

Image: New Jersey aims to produce 100% of its power from renewable sources by 2050. Photo: courtesy of Norbert Pietsch from Pixabay.

US state New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed an Executive Order that more than doubles the state’s wind-generated electricity to 7.5GW by 2035 from 3.5GW by 2030.

The move forms part of the state’s wider plan to produce 100% of its power from renewable sources by 2050, with an interim aim of 50% by 2030.

Murphy said: “There is no other renewable energy resource that provides us with either the electric-generation or economic-growth potential of offshore wind.

“When we reach our goal of 7,500 megawatts, New Jersey’s offshore wind infrastructure will generate electricity to power more than 3.2 million homes and meet fifty percent of our state’s electric power need.

“We have an immense opportunity to maximize our potential and make this region – and, specifically New Jersey – the nexus of the global offshore wind industry.”

New Jersey aims to produce 100% of its power from renewable sources by 2050

Last year, Murphy had signed Executive Order, allowing the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) to implement the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act (OWEDA) and begin the process to achieve 3.5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030.

As a result, NJBPU issued a solicitation and selected Danish energy giant Ørsted as a preferred bidder for Ocean Wind, the first offshore wind project in the state with 1.1GW of capacity, earlier this year.

NJBPU is also planning to launch two additional solicitations for the development of 1,200MW of offshore wind generation in 2020 and 2022.

New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy said: “By significantly expanding our offshore wind goals, we will make our state more resilient against the effects of climate change and protect our environment for future generations.

“Today’s Executive Order signals a critical step forward in developing our renewable energy infrastructure and reaching a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050.”

Effective immediately, the latest Executive Order directs the NNJBPU, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and other state agencies to take actions required to meet the targeted offshore wind power capacity.