Scott Fallon reports for NorthJersey.com
Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Tuesday that would more than double his offshore wind power goal for New Jersey.
The order would increase the goal to 7,500 megawatts by 2035, from 3,500 set for 2030.
Murphy made the announcement with former Vice President Al Gore, a clean energy advocate, at a news conference in Jersey City at Liberty Science Center.
“Think about it for a second — when we meet this goal, our offshore winds will generate enough electricity to power more than 3.2 million New Jersey homes,” Murphy said, to applause from environmentalists and labor groups.
“We will meet half of our electric power need,” he said. “We will generate billions of dollars in investments in our state’s future that will, in turn, generate thousands of union jobs.”
Gore praised Murphy and called projects like the offshore wind farm an “emotional reward” in the fight to stem climate change that would be a “wonderful opportunity for good jobs.”
Gore compared the fight against climate change to Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Bulge and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “We have to rise to this challenge!” Gore said, his voice almost breaking. “We have to change.”
Nearly every major environmental group praised Murphy’s order, from the Sierra Club to the League of Conservation Voters.
Previously, Murphy had set a goal of 3,500 megawatts for offshore wind generation by 2030 to power as many as 1.5 million New Jersey homes.
Toward that end, in June the state Board of Public Utilities approved a $1.6 billion wind-energy farm to be built about 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic City.
The project by Ocean Wind — a joint venture between the Danish energy company Orsetd and PSEG — would be the largest of its kind in the U.S.
Offshore wind power is a cornerstone of Murphy’s goal to convert New Jersey’s electricity production to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. The renewable sources include wind, solar and nuclear power.
New Jersey has a way to go. About 95 percent of electricity generated in the Garden State still comes from natural-gas-powered plants and nuclear facilities.
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