Resources & FAQs

Ocean Wind is an offshore wind farm being developed 15 miles off the coast of southern New Jersey, by Ørsted, the world leader in offshore wind. The 1,100 MW project will generate enough clean energy to power half a million New Jersey homes and businesses. The construction of the project will begin in 2022, and is scheduled to be operational in 2024.

The project will create construction jobs and 70 full-time jobs at its operations and maintenance facility during the life-cycle of the project, which is about 25 years.

An independent analysis of our bid by Rutgers University determined that there would be approximately a $1.46 rate increase per household per month for the 20-year life span of the Project. This increase was deemed acceptable as the overall net benefit to ratepayers in New Jersey was determined by the same analysis to be positive, including a full analysis of environmental and economic benefits to the state, including job creation and overall economic activity.

EMF stands for electromagnetic field. The earth has a natural static magnetic field and static electric fields are generated in the atmosphere. EMF's are generated wherever electricity is transmitted or used (for example, household appliances, electric wiring, power lines, and electrified railways).

EMF's are typically localized, and in the case of an offshore wind farm, the offshore and onshore cable systems are typically the source of EMF. They will be strongest close to the point at which the fields are generated and decrease rapidly in strength with distance from the source. Once the cable engineering and design for the project is finalized, we will perform a modelling analysis on the cables to ensure any EMF emissions are below required thresholds and avoid any impacts, onshore and offshore.

We understand and respect the importance of New Jersey’s shoreline to its residents, visitors and its place as an overall tourism revenue generator. We will be mindful in our planning and placement of underground cables. We will work cooperatively with state and federal regulators to ensure our plans for renewable energy can deliver what it is designed to do while co-existing in close proximity to one of New Jersey’s most precious natural resources.

Tourism plays a large part in the economy of southern New Jersey, and we are mindful of that. Studies have shown that offshore wind and tourism can not only coexist but thrive. The University of Rhode Island released a study that showed that tourism on Block Island, home to America’s first offshore wind farm, actually increased.

Offshore wind farms are connected to the grid using transmission cables that originate offshore at the turbines, are collected together at an offshore substation, and then transported to shore via buried submarine cables. The cable is then tunnelled underneath the beach using a process called horizontal directional drilling, which avoids impacts to sensitive coastal habitats by keeping the cable buried for the entire length of the coastal zone. From there, the buried cable runs along existing roadways and rights of ways – until it reaches an inland substation where the power is connected into the existing land-based electrical grid.

Turbines are designed to weather 1,000-year storms and remain operational until ~60 mph. Once the wind reaches above that speed, the turbines are placed in a protective mode. The Block Island Wind Farm, which Ørsted operates has successfully weathered several hurricanes and strong nor’easters since coming online in December 2016.

Turbines for the U.S. market are designed to comply with the most recent Tropical Storm design class (“T-class”), design standards used in areas with cyclones.

We are one of the largest green energy developers in the world and are fully committed to growing our wind power business sustainably, and we take great responsibility to ensure that wind energy and wildlife thrive together. Our biodiversity policy sets out the principles that underpin our efforts to protect the natural environment in the areas where we construct and operate offshore wind farms, ensuring that we undertake extensive stakeholder dialogue to understand local considerations and sensitivities of potential offshore wind farm locations as we site the projects, minimize impacts during construction, and continuously monitor for potential impacts during the operational life of the wind farm. We have extensively engaged with key environmental and marine stakeholders in and around New Jersey and have planned our project to have minimal impacts.

With nearly 30 years’ experience developing wind farms all over the world, including America's first offshore wind farm, Ørsted has a long record of engaging with the commercial and recreational fishing industries, and coming to a state of coexistence. We are committed to being a good neighbor, and to working together to ensure both clean, renewable energy and a thriving fishing industry.

Ørsted has the largest and most proactive marine affairs team of any offshore wind developer in the U.S. We seek to minimize disruption of fishing activities during all phases of development and maximize ease of access and safe navigation for fishing during wind farm operations.

When the project has reached the end of its useful life, the turbines will be decommissioned, removed from the ocean and the materials will be recycled.

At the federal level, Ocean Wind’s lead regulator is the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Regulatory approvals are also required from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service and others. At the state level, the Board of Public Utilities issues the contract that requires the utilities in the state to purchase the power, while the Department of Environmental Protection issues a variety of permits as well. The project also works with local and county governments for permits related to construction and interconnection.

The jobs required to build and develop Ocean Wind include union construction jobs, and jobs within our operations and maintenance facility. Ørsted will be hiring as will many of our local subcontractors. To learn more, please be sure to register as part of our Supplier Database.