
The report investigates the feasibility of utility-scale wind energy development in the waters offshore of New Jersey. The report found that offshore wind could produce approximately 3,000 MWh/yr for each installed MW of facility. Power densities of approximately 20 MW per square mile could be harvested while occupying less than 0.01% of the seabed within a project area. The study area encompasses 2,465 square nautical miles and extends up to 20 miles from shore. The cost of offshore wind energy modeled within the study area was found to be at the high end or above market price. Declining capital cost and other factors are expected to improve this situation over time. The existing transmission system along the coastline has sufficient capacity to accept significant amounts of new wind-based generation with the amount of this capacity dependent on the locations where wind projects are interconnected. Several major ports exist within or near the study area that are suitable to support the shipping, installation or O&M requirements of an offshore wind project, including the Port of New York and New Jersey, Atlantic City, and industrial ports accessible via the Delaware Bay and Delaware River in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.