As the sun set Sunday night at the Cove, tensions rose at what was another strong showing for opponents to offshore wind farms. About 100 people gathered on a cold, windy evening at the southern-most point of New Jersey to keep the light on the fight against offshore wind companies with a cairn lighting. But one man spoke our after U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, rallied the crowd against windmills, questioning everyone there if they truly believe whales are dying as a result off offshore wind site preparation work. Mark Heany, a city resident since 1995, was met with shouts of disapproval after he interrupted the lineup of speakers. A few people got in his face to argue. Four Cape May police officers, who were there to make sure things stayed peaceful, intervened as Heaney and others argued just inches apart. 9 Photos, >>click to read<< 10:23
Tag Archives: Ørsted
Save LBI Stays Course Despite Trump’s Promise to Kill Offshore Wind
While President-elect Donald Trump is expected to make sweeping changes to the national energy policy, including doing away with offshore wind on Day 1 of his new term, a local grassroots organization isn’t letting that news get in its way of fighting the construction of what is poised to be the country’s largest wind farm some 9 miles off the coast of Long Beach Island. “We will be filing major lawsuits by the end of the month to invalidate at least some of those prior federal approvals,” Bob Stern, president and cofounder of Save LBI, said just days after voters returned Trump to office for a second term. “In addition, we will be seeking to have the lease area itself canceled so that new projects will not be resurrected in the future.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:05
Supporters, Opponents of Offshore Wind Both Look for Hopeful Signs in Trump Administration
On the day after the elections last week, and even before, the airwaves were crammed with speculation about how this, that, and the other sectors of American life and the economy would fare under a Trump administration. The chatter included the future of offshore wind, which was born in the United States in 2016 off the coast of Block Island and continues to generate heavy support and heavy opposition. President-elect Donald Trump has expressed hostility toward offshore wind and has said he would put an end to the industry “on day one” of his administration. Trump-supporting Republicans have vowed to put an end to President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, including tax credits for big projects such as offshore wind. A large share of the IRA’s $891 billion price tag is targeted toward renewable energy and related technologies. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:53
Poll Finds Offshore Wind Projects Not a High Priority for N.J. Voters
Offshore wind projects are not a high priority for New Jersey voters, including those who support wind turbines, according to a Stockton University poll released Tuesday. Cape May County mounted a legal battle to oppose a wind farm project that would have included nearly 100 giant turbines 15 miles off the coast stretching from Atlantic City to Stone Harbor. Elected officials representing Cape May County and its beach communities asserted that the project would have caused devastating economic and environmental damage to the tourism industry, commercial fishing, migratory birds and marine life such as whales and dolphins. The developer, the Danish energy company Orsted, scrapped the project last year, blaming inflation, rising interest rates and supply-chain disruptions. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:42
What Jersey Shore fishermen can learn from offshore wind farm spinning off Long Island
Only the silent hum of the ferry as it curved around the side of one of a dozen towering wind turbines could be heard Wednesday morning off Long Island. Nearby, fishing vessels were dwarfed by the 460-foot tall towers. A few boats flecked the horizon, traveling between the vast miles that stretched from Block Island to the South Fork wind farm. One of them was helmed by a local fisherman who’s been on these waters for over half a century. Nonetheless, Auteri and fishermen up and down the East Coast, including the Jersey Shore, have shared concerns over whether species they rely on will continue to frequent the areas where sweeping wind farms (taller than the Statue of Liberty) are sited or will be. And, they say, if it is proven wind farms drive fish away they should get money to make up for their economic loss. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:52
NEFSA Petition Urging Janet Mills to Halt Development of Offshore Wind in Gulf of Maine Receives Over 2,500 Signatures
The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) will be sending Gov. Janet Mills a petition with over 2,500 signatures urging her to halt the development of offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Maine, according to a source close to the matter. NEFSA is a bipartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to helping save the region’s commercial fishing industry and preserving it for future generations. Signatories on the petition include commercial fishermen, as well as residents of New England maritime communities. In a copy of the petition’s letter obtained by the Maine Wire, NEFSA CEO Jerry Leeman urged Gov. Mills to follow in the footsteps of Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) by asking the Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) to halt its efforts to lease property off the coast. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:52
US offshore wind projects pelted with suits to end, delay progress
There are 13 cases pending in federal courts targeting offshore wind projects, according to the American Clean Power Association, an offshore wind trade group. An undetermined number of additional lawsuits is active in state courts, they said. Robin Shaffer is president of Protect Our Coast NJ, a citizens group that has filed numerous lawsuits in New Jersey against two offshore projects currently or previously proposed. Shaffer said his group was at least partly responsible for scuttling two New Jersey wind farms proposed by Orsted that the Danish wind giant scrapped in October, saying they were no longer financially workable. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:57
U.S. Offshore Wind: The Struggle Continues
This post updates the financial troubles of Denmark’s Ørsted, recent BOEM auctions, and pushback against Maryland governor Wes Moore. Today, operational offshore wind capacity is less than 50 megawatts versus the Biden-Harris Administration goal of 30,000 MW by 2030. Denmark’s Ørsted, the worldwide leading offshore wind developer, recorded a $575 million loss in the second quarter. In part, the loss is the result of disappointing developments in the U.S. The company has delayed commercial operation of its 704-MW Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut from 2025 to 2026. Ørsted’s ambitious U.S. offshore wind program has been lagging, despite solid support (subsidies, permits) from the Biden administration. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06;50
Biden-Subsidized Offshore Wind Developer Reports Massive Losses in Latest Blow to Industry
A Danish renewable energy group booked huge impairment losses Thursday after it pushed back the launch of one of its U.S. offshore wind projects, according to its first-half 2024 earnings report. Orsted estimated the value of its assets declined $472 million in the first half of 2024, largely due to delays at the onshore substation for its 704 megawatt (MW) “Revolution Wind” project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut, the report showed. The company also reported a variety of other problems, including losses related to its cancellation of its Ocean Wind projects in New Jersey and its abandoned effort to produce eco-friendly methanol in Sweden. “Despite encouraging progress on our US offshore wind project Revolution Wind, the construction of the onshore substation for the project has been delayed,” Orsted’s CEO Mads Nipper said in reference to the delay. “This is, of course, unsatisfactory, and we continue our dedicated efforts to de-risk our portfolio.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:03
New Jersey Terminates Ocean Wind Projects Amidst Environmental Concerns
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has officially revoked its prior approvals for the Ocean Wind One and Ocean Wind Two offshore wind projects. This decision comes after Cape May County filed lawsuits challenging the projects, citing environmental concerns. The State has agreed to allow Orsted, the foreign corporation behind the projects, to retain $175 million in escrow funds in exchange for the cancellation. “Today is a very important day in our ongoing opposition to these environmentally destructive offshore wind projects,” said Cape May County Commission Director Len Desiderio. “The vacation of these Orders by the BPU means that it will be much more difficult for Orsted or any other Big Wind company to utilize these lease areas just a few miles off Cape May County beaches. As we have seen in Nantucket over the past few weeks, these industrial electricity-generating facilities represent an unacceptable threat to our environment and, consequently, to our local economy. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:44
Fishing Industry Remains Concerned with Offshore Wind Power
East End residents will soon be another step closer to wind power and away from fossil fuel; but local commercial fishermen are raising objections. And East Enders are waiting to hear how much this wind power project will mean for new utility rates. The federal government earlier this spring approved what it calls a “record of decision” for a Denmark-based company, Orsted, to build one of the largest offshore wind farms planned for Nassau and Suffolk counties. The decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior is among the last steps to build the windfarm, known as Sunrise Wind, an 84-turbine plant, before actual construction can begin. Both Sunrise Wind and South Fork Wind are in the waters off Massachusetts and Rhode Island. South Fork Wind’s cable comes ashore in Wainscott. Sunrise Wind has a power cable running more than 100 miles to Smith Point County Park, before beginning a 17 mile trip through Brookhaven Town to a substation in Holtsville. more,>>CLICK TO READ<< 18:05
Will offshore wind presence get even bigger off Ocean City?
The first auction of 2024 for more land leased for offshore wind off the Delmarva Peninsula was cleared for Aug. 14 after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released the Central Atlantic Final Sale Notice. The notice is the last step required by the agency to hold a lease auction for the Central Atlantic region, which includes offshore areas in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. In total, the area available for lease covers more than 275,000 acres, enough to develop up to 6.3 GW of offshore wind energy capacity. Detractors for the expansion of offshore wind in Maryland, like Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md-1st, took aim at the decision, noting there were still a number of environmental issues surrounding plans for turbines. “We should never allow foreign-owned offshore wind companies to control our energy supply — much less harm our marine life while doing it,” said a spokesperson for Harris. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:51
Wind Farm Opponents to Host Rally in Ocean City
Opponents of offshore wind farms are holding a rally Saturday to continue their fight against what they believe could harm the environment, the tourism industry, commercial fishing operations and marine life. The second annual “Stop Offshore Wind” rally will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Mark Soifer Park, across from City Hall in Ocean City. The rally will proceed with a march across the Route 52 causeway bridge connecting Ocean City and Somers Point. Danish wind farm developer Orsted announced on Oct. 31 that it was halting its Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects. Representatives of the company maintained that it wouldn’t be financially feasible to do the projects. In a rally flyer advertising Saturday’s event, opponents cautioned that they must continue to speak up against wind farms with the words, “The fight is not over,” despite Orsted withdrawing from the local project. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:28
Offshore Wind Opponents Sue NJDEP Over Planned Project
A local grassroots organization opposed to the current offshore wind farm planned off the coast of Long Beach Island is among three groups to sue the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection over its approval of the Atlantic Shores project. Save LBI is joined by Protect Our Coast New Jersey and Defend Brigantine Beach, said Bruce Afran, who is the attorney of record in the legal proceeding. “DEP’s approval flies in the face of federal regulators’ environmental impact statement that says the Atlantic Shores project will damage marine habitat, compress and harden the seafloor, damage marine communities, compromise migration corridors for endangered species and cause commercial fishing stocks to decline,” he said. The DEP has 30 days to respond under court rules, and briefs are expected to be filed by October with argument on the appeal in March or April 2025, according to a statement issued last week by Save LBI, Defend Brigantine Beach and Protect Our Coast New Jersey. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:08
It’s Been a Brutal Year for Offshore Wind — Despite Analysts’ Best Guesses
Since the start of 2023, approximately 60% of all contracts signed by American offshore wind developers have been cancelled, according to E&E News. Ørsted, a Danish company and one of the world’s leading offshore wind developers, backed out of two major planned projects in New Jersey in 2023, while other players like General Electric, British Petroleum (BP) and Equinor attempted to renegotiate with state governments as economic headwinds eroded projects’ profitability. Similar developments have played out to start 2024, with developers up and down the east coast backing out of deals to sell power from their projects as the same fundamental economic problems persist despite the projections of some market experts and media outlets. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:57
East End fishermen uneasy over wind farm South Fork Wind
Late last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul called South Fork Wind, which is projected to eliminate hundreds of millions of tons of carbon emissions annually, a “major milestone” in the state’s “nation-leading effort to generate reliable, renewable clean energy. “But at least one East End community remains staunchly opposed to wind farms: commercial fishermen — who say that the massive, 50-story turbines could irreparably damage the local marine ecosystem and displace them from areas they’ve fished for decades or even generations. more, >>click to read<< 08:12
Orsted, months after a $4 billion write-off on offshore wind, decides to cut jobs, halt dividends, and quit several markets
Orsted has struggled to keep its promising wind projects alive in recent times. High costs tied to Inflation, elevated interest rates, and supply crunches took a toll on Orsted as it wrote off $4 billion linked to two large New Jersey wind projects in October. At the time, the company described America as the “most painful part of its portfolio” that it would have to make that hard decision of de-risking from—a blow for President Joe Biden’s administration that had pinned great hopes to the country’s investment in green energy. more, >> click to read<< 12:13
Ørsted pulled out of NJ. What comes next for wind power at the Jersey Shore?
After Ørsted, Danish energy company, announced in October that it would pull out of the billion-dollar project to build wind turbines off the New Jersey coast, there was discussion about what would come next for clean energy development in the Garden State. Gov. Phil Murphy announced that the state’s Board of Public Utilities would seek another wind energy company in early 2024 and engage in contracts in early 2025. Why did Ørsted drop its New Jersey projects? The company ended development of the Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects, which were supposed to be built off the coast of Atlantic City. Two other projects, one by Avangrid and another by SouthCoast, a joint venture of Shell and Ocean Winds North America, were also canceled earlier this year in Massachusetts, forcing the companies to pay penalties of $48 million and $60 million, respectively. >>click to read<<10:48
New Jersey reacts to Ørsted Ocean Wind cancellation shocker
The aftermath is still unfolding Wednesday afternoon — and causing a lot of questions, drama and uncertainty in the state. It all comes against the backdrop of next week’s legislative elections (with offshore wind a central campaign issue in many races), when all 120 seats are up for grabs.Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders all responded with strongly worded statements and reactions, which came ripping through email boxes and across social media accounts in the evening hours on Halloween, which you can read more about here. That continued Wednesday — especially from Republican lawmakers and leaders, who have long questioned the feasibility of offshore wind as well as its potential impacts, leaning into the issue heavily on the campaign trail. >>click to read<< 17:20
Developer cancels plans for 2 N.J. offshore wind farms. Outraged Murphy rips company
Danish company Ørsted announced Tuesday night it will “cease development” for what was slated to be New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm, as well as plans for its second project. It’s a blow to Gov. Phil Murphy’s ambitious clean energy goals and a stunning development for environmentalists supporting the energy alternative, once thought to be operational at the Jersey Shore between 2025 and 2026. Murphy said in his statement that Ørsted’s decision to “abandon its commitments to New Jersey is outrageous and calls into question the company’s credibility and competence.” “As recently as several weeks ago,” Murphy said, “the company made public statements regarding the viability and progress of the Ocean Wind 1 project.” >>click to read<< 07:08
Offshore Wind Is A Dangerous Pipe Dream Costing Taxpayers Billions
How many times have we heard that wind power, coupled with the sun’s energy, is going to save us from our fossil-fuel-burning ways? Maybe one day it will. But at no time soon will it happen. And by soon, we mean in most of our lifetimes. How can we say this? Look around at what’s happening with wind energy [emphasis, “California’s Central Coast residents work to stop — or at least slow down — offshore wind.”,,, “Orsted Threatens To Abandon U.S. Offshore Wind Projects.” Biden administration guarantees more support.,, “Electricity from wind isn’t cheap and it never will be.” The list above is no more than a start. There are many more stories we could have cited, and there are many more to come. Wind energy is unreliable, and its costs are not competitive at scale. Lots of links! >>click to read<< 18:22
Another legal challenge to NJ offshore wind farm project
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, commercial fishing and tourism interests and a conservation group joined Cape May County in accusing federal agencies of ignoring and violating laws designed to protect the environment and marine life. The dispute is the latest that threatens to delay the project, which also faces stiff financial challenges that have led officials from Ørsted, a Danish company, to consider pulling out of building the 98-turbine project. Ørsted’s Ocean Wind I, a 1,100-megawatt project about 15 miles offshore from Atlantic City, is entangled in assorted court battles. Orsted has sued Cape May County and Ocean City over delays in obtaining permits while the state faces challenges over its approval of the project from local groups. >>click to read<< 07:09
Against the wind
Visiting southern New Jersey this summer, I kept seeing yard signs that read “Stop the Windmills—Save Our Coast.” The posters were rallying opposition to the massive Ocean Wind 1 power project 15 miles off the Jersey shore near Atlantic City. That constellation of 853-foot-high wind turbines is supposed to start construction any day now, although delays and financial uncertainties have hampered the project. Ocean Wind 1 is planned to be one of more than two dozen huge wind projects off the East Coast from South Carolina to Maine. If it ever gets built. Which it won’t if the residents of South Jersey have anything to say about it. >>click to read<< 08:56
U.S. offshore wind plans are utterly collapsing
Offshore wind developer Ørsted has delayed its New Jersey Ocean Wind 1 project to 2026. Previously, the company had announced construction of the project would begin in October 2023. The delay was attributed to supply chain issues, higher interest rates, and a failure so far to garner enough tax credits from the federal government. For now, they are not walking away from all their U.S. projects but will reconsider long-term plans by the end of this year. Ørsted’s stock price has fallen 30% in 5 days. This is just the latest bad news for offshore win. >>click to read<<10:57
RI fishermen’s board resigns en masse over Biden admin-backed offshore wind farm: ‘Wholesale ocean destruction’
A plan backed by the Biden administration to OK a string of wind farms off Rhode Island has prompted every member of a fishing regulatory board in the state to resign. The entire Rhode Island Fisherman’s Advisory Board quit en masse Friday to protest the 84-turbine Sunrise Wind project after the state’s Coastal Resources Management Council approved the third offshore wind farm in two years off the Ocean State’s waters. The project falls under President Biden‘s executive order authorizing his Interior Department to double US offshore wind capacity by 2030. With the project’s approval, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is on track to finish reviews for 16 wind farms by 2025. But foes including the fishing board say the Sunrise plan ignores environmental regulations and anglers’ concerns Video, >>click to read<< 17:54
Proposals could increase wind energy costs 27% to 66%, NYSERDA report says
A report by the state agency leading New York’s transition into a carbon-free energy grid says requests by wind farm developers to sharply increase what they can charge for the power could potentially be 27% to 66% higher than originally proposed. Wind farm companies requesting the increases previously filed documents with the state that excluded from public release most of the now-released financial information. “The economic impact is far too great,” Michelle Leo, a member of Protect Our Coast Long Island, an opposition group in Long Beach, said in an email in response to the release. “Off-shore wind is clearly too expensive because of the return to the investors …” Equinor is lying to the ratepayers that have crappy political representation. >>click to read<< 12:59
Offshore wind projects may be cancelled in NJ, according to report
Already facing a series of lawsuits and opposition from state and local officials, Danish wind power developer Orsted is reporting huge financial losses. Those losses, company officials warned, could reach $2.3 billion in the U.S and may force the cancellation of projects of the New Jersey coast. In a conference call with investors, Orsted CEO Mads Nipper told them, “If the walk-away scenario is the economical, rational decision for us, then this remains a real scenario for us.” Orsted is considering “walking away” from or cancelling projects in New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Maryland. >>click to read<< 08:48
Ørsted shares fall 25% after it reveals troubles in US business
Shares in the world’s largest offshore wind company tumbled by nearly a quarter on Wednesday, after it said it may have to write down the value of its US portfolio by nearly £2bn. Ørsted said it had been hit by a flurry of setbacks in its American business, triggering a rapid sell-off in its shares, listed in Copenhagen. In their haste to dump the stock, investors had cut the notional value of the business by nearly £7bn by the time the market closed on Wednesday. It pointed to significant problems in the supply chain that are likely to affect Ocean Wind 1, Sunrise Wind, and Revolution Wind, planned windfarms off the eastern seaboard of the US. >>click to read<< 13:32
Survey: Support for wind energy drops in New Jersey
Support for offshore wind development in New Jersey has dropped dramatically in recent years as projects near construction, according to polling released Monday. Just over half of residents, around 54 percent, approve of offshore wind farm construction, according to the Monmouth University survey, a decrease from 76 percent in 2019 and 84 percent in 2011. At least 60 whales have died on the East Coast since preparations for the first project near Atlantic City began in December, but multiple studies from federal and state agencies have not found evidence linking the deaths with wind farms. The wind turbine projects have been celebrated by the state government and the Biden administration as ways to encourage green energy production in well-developed areas. >>click to read<< 15:45
Reader Commentary: NOAA cares about whales — until wind farms are involved
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