A New Jersey offshore wind energy project has stalled due to a lack of blade manufacturers for its turbines.
In January, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) awarded a 2,400-megawatt contract to Leading Light Wind, a project developed by two wind energy companies: lead developer Invenergy, based in Chicago, and co-developer energyRe, based in New York.
However, after the project was approved, one of the wind turbine manufacturers, GE Vernova, said it won’t be making the type of turbines required for the Leading Light Project.
Leading Light’s other two manufacturer options—Vestas and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy—fell through because of blade incompatibility and cost, respectively, leaving the project without a supplier.
The BPU granted the project a pause until Dec. 20 so that its developers can find manufacturers for necessary components.
“The stay enables continued discussions with the BPU and supply chain partners regarding the industry-wide market shifts,” Invenergy said in a statement. “We will continue to advance project development activities during this time.”
The wind farm will be located 40 miles off the coast of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, and is scheduled to begin construction in 2028.
When completed, the farm is expected to power more than 1 million homes and reduce carbon emissions by 4.1 million tons annually throughout the project’s life.
Leading Light Wind said the project will create up to 7,500 jobs while bringing approximately $3.7 billion in economic development benefits to the state, including a new wind turbine generator tower manufacturing facility.
BPU board president Christine Guhl-Sadovy said the delay will ensure the quality of the project.
“We are committed in New Jersey to our offshore wind goals,” she said. “We look forward to delivering on the project that will help grow our clean energy workforce and contribute to clean energy generation for the state.”
Other wind energy projects along the East Coast have faced setbacks due to poor financial feasibility and bureaucratic delays.
In July, a broken turbine blade washed ashore at a vacation site along the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, which led to the federal government suspending a wind farm’s operations until the company cleaned up what turned out to be 17 cubic yards of fiberglass debris.
Opponents of offshore wind energy say that the towering turbines infringe upon coastal vacation spots and harm the ocean’s ecosystem, while wind energy advocates argue that transitioning away from fossil fuel is critical to the climate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
