Ørsted To Update Barnegat Area On Offshore Wind Farm

WARETOWN, NJ — A developer invited local residents to attend an info session about an offshore wind farm in development. The open house runs from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Holiday Beach Club (Lighthouse Drive, Waretown).

Ørsted employees will discuss plans to build a wind farm 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic City. The company expects to begin construction in the early 2020s and make it operational in 2024. It will power more than 500,000 New Jersey homes.

Ocean Wind LLC, which owns Ørsted, has also selected the site of Lacey's Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station for an onshore component to its wind farm. The longtime power plant ceased operations in September 2018.

But Ørsted likely won't be ready to unveil Oyster Creek plans during the meeting.

"I don't believe we're going to be announcing our plans for the Oyster Creek station just yet," said Ørsted North America spokesperson Gabriel Martinez. "But this is an opportunity for residents to meet members of the Ocean Wind team and learn more about the project (off Atlantic City), what it's going to mean for them and the economic benefits across the region."

Ocean Wind is working on the state's goals to power more than 3.2 million New Jersey homes with offshore-wind power by 2035. The company expects to create more than 3,000 jobs annually through development and the three-year construction cycle.

Ocean Wind will also offer 69 full-time jobs in its operations and maintenance facility to service the turbines during the lifetime of the wind farm.

"This is a new American industry and New Jersey is poised to be a key player within offshore wind, so we expect and welcome questions and comments," said Kris Ohleth, Ørsted's senior stakeholder relations manager.

Martinez said he could not comment on taxpayer costs at the moment.

Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind works to deliver clean, renewable energy along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. Find out more about Ørsted below:

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