By Shannon McDonagh, Newsweek
New Jersey’s newest ambitious clean-energy project is facing significant delays.
Leading Light Wind, an American-founded initiative, has requested a pause from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) on its plans to develop a wind farm off Long Beach Island.
The project is struggling to secure a manufacturer for its turbine blades.
In a filing submitted in July but only recently made public, Leading Light Wind cited industrywide shifts in market conditions as the primary reason for the delay.
Wes Jacobs, the project director and vice president of Offshore Wind Development at Invenergy, a partner in the project, emphasized the need for more time to negotiate with the board and supply chain partners.
Despite the pause, his outlook remains hopeful.
“As one of the largest American-led offshore wind projects in the country, we remain committed to delivering this critically important energy project, as well as its significant economic and environmental benefits, to the Garden State,” he said in a statement.
The project has since been plagued by setbacks, including the withdrawal of turbine supplier GE Vernova and a significant cost increase from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, leaving the project without a viable turbine supplier.
Related wind energy news:
Global heating could raise potential for offshore wind power, study says
Offshore wind energy’s biggest problem: public opinion, not broken blades
Ørsted, Eversource Celebrate Revolution Wind’s First Completed Turbine
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