Jersey plans offshore wind debut with 1GW project
Jersey plans offshore wind debut with 1GW project | Windpower Monthly
Jersey plans to host a 1GW offshore wind farm off its south-west coast that it believes could produce enough electricity to power the island six times over.
The island is a self-governing territory that is owned by the British Crown, and is located off the north coast of France.
Its government has launched a public consultation for the project, and also plans to hold talks with the supply chain.
Environment minister Jonathan Renouf said the government would look to propose legislation in 2024 before identifying a developer in 2025.
The project should be privately funded and designed, the government stated.
Renouf added: “Access to locally generated renewable energy can provide greater price stability for Islanders at a time when energy markets are volatile. It would also allow us to lock in long-term access to low-carbon energy, with income streams to fund Jersey’s transition to net zero emissions and other public services.”
Jersey currently secures 95% of its electricity from France, according to Policy Centre Jersey.
Related Knowledge Center: Offshore wind energy
Over the next decade, U.S. offshore wind power is expected to grow from a single 30-megawatt wind farm off Rhode Island to more than 2,000 MW of capacity along the Atlantic Seaboard. There are contracts for wind power off the coasts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated the United States has over 4,000 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind potential, enough to power the country four times over.
The growth in part being spurred by state solicitations, including in New York, where then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) set a commitment of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, and in Connecticut, where in June 2021, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed legislation authorizing the construction of 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030.
The offshore development is also being driven by an investment tax credit set to end in December 2019 and is equal to 12 percent of expenditures. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) have introduced a bill to extend the tax credit for up to eight years.
The Interior Department has held eight competitive lease sales that resulted in 15 offshore wind leases over 1.7 million acres that has the potential for 21 GW of capacity. In February 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed a bidding process that realized $4.37 billion for 488,000 acres across six lease areas in federal waters off New York and New Jersey.
Projects have also been proposed off the Southeast coast, off California and Hawaii, and for the Great Lakes.