The New Jersey Wind Port will be built in the Salem County with an investment between $300 and $400m
Construction on the port is expected to begin next year. (Credit: Pixabay/Julia Schwab.)
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced plans for the development of the New Jersey Wind Port, the first purpose-built port in the US to support offshore wind projects on the East Coast.
To be built in the Salem County with an investment between $300 and $400m, the port will create nearly 1,500 manufacturing, assembly and operations jobs along with hundreds of construction jobs in the state.
The port’s construction is expected to begin next year. The construction is planned in two phases. Under phase 1, the development of a 30-acre site to accommodate marshalling activities and a 25-acre component manufacturing site will take place.
The phase 2 will include another more than 150 acres to accommodate expanded marshalling activities and extensive manufacturing facilities for turbine components like blades and nacelles.
The New Jersey Wind Port will be located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, on an artificial island on the eastern shores of the Delaware River, southwest of the City of Salem.
The site was selected after an assessment process of 22 months after engaging with industry, government and environmental stakeholders.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) has been given the lead development role and it is presently considering a range of public, private, and public-private partnership (P3) financing options.
The port will support New Jersey’s plans to generate 7.5GW in offshore wind by 2035
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said: “Offshore wind is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not only protect our environment but also greatly expand our state economy in a way that has immediate impacts and paves the way for long-term growth.
“The New Jersey Wind Port will create thousands of high-quality jobs, bring millions of investment dollars to our state, and establish New Jersey as the national capital of offshore wind. This is a vital step forward in achieving our goal of reaching 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2035 and 100 percent clean energy by 2050.”
New Jersey sees offshore wind as a key component in its plan to achieve 100% clean energy by 2050. As part of the plan, the state has committed to generate 7.5GW of offshore wind by 2035.