More Windfarms Approved for Atlantic City, Could Power 1.2 Million Homes
The New Jersey Wind Energy Area from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
The windmill farm that greets you on the drive from Philadelphia to Atlantic City represents so much. It not only means clean, renewable energy, but it’s a welcoming sign that there’s something bright, modern and green for a struggling city that relies heavily on gambling, entertainment and revelry for survival.
Just yesterday, two companies won the rights to develop windmill farms on nearly 344,000 acres in federal waters off the coast of Atlantic City. Here’s how it breaks down:
- RES America Developments Inc. bid $880,715 for 160,480 acres.
- US Wind Inc. bid $1,006,240 for 183,353 acres.
It’s unclear if Atlantic City will benefit economically from the wind farms, but if developed, the area leased could support about 3,400 megawatts of commercial wind generation, enough electricity to power about 1.2 million homes, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The grants were awarded by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under President Obama’s Climate Action Plan.
But a long road still lies ahead. Each lease will have a preliminary term of one year, during which the lessee will submit a site assessment plan toBureau of Ocean Energy Management for approval.
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