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Offshore wind company cancels project in N.J. Now what?

October 2, 2023 — Danish global offshore wind developer Orsted’s abrupt announcement this week that it is abandoning both of its massive projects planned off the New Jersey coast is a stinging blow to Gov. Phil Murphy’s ambitious goal of addressing climate change that threatens the state’s coast.

The company’s announcement Tuesday night was akin to abruptly snatching away key pieces of the state’s renewable energy puzzle. As of Wednesday, it was unclear how leaders would fill that void.

However, one key piece does remain in place: Atlantic Shores, the largest single wind farm yet approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU).

Orsted in its earnings statement cited economic headwinds as the reason.

“Macroeconomic factors have changed dramatically over a short period of time, with high inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain bottlenecks impacting our long-term capital investments,” said David Hardy, group executive vice president and CEO Americas at Orsted. “As a result, we have no choice but to cease development of Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2.”

Hardy said the company was disappointed and thanked Murphy and other state leaders who tried to kick-start the industry in the state, hoping to make it a hub for offshore wind in the Northeast.

‘Outrageous’

Murphy, however, was having none of it. His administration took significant political heat in backing recent legislation allowing Orsted to take federal renewable energy credits that initially state law allowed to go only to ratepayers.

“Today’s decision by Orsted to abandon its commitments to New Jersey is outrageous and calls into question the company’s credibility and competence,” the governor said in a statement. “As recently as several weeks ago, the company made public statements regarding the viability and progress of the Ocean Wind 1 project.”

Murphy said his administration is looking “to review all legal rights and remedies and to take all necessary steps to ensure that Orsted fully and immediately honors its obligations.”

State officials who backed offshore wind are “upset, frustrated, and disappointed,” said a senior administration official, who called Orsted’s decision a “setback” in the state’s aggressive goal of obtaining 100% clean energy by 2035. The official said the administration is proceeding with offshore wind because “it’s too important to our economic future. It’s too important for our environmental and energy needs.”

It could take time for the state to find, and approve, a new developer to replace the 2.2 gigawatts of energy that would have been generated by Orsted’s Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects — enough to have powered about 1 million homes.

Read the full article at the Philadelphia Inquirer 

Offshore wind is stumbling. Can Biden save the industry?

November 2, 2023 — The Biden administration is facing increasing pressure to take action to bolster the offshore wind industry after a major project was canceled in New Jersey on Tuesday, although options appear limited to ease financial hurdles facing developers.

So far, the administration is reiterating that the industry will continue to grow and that President Joe Biden’s goals for 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 will be achieved, even as many states and analysts say otherwise.

“Biden’s offshore wind goals look impossible at this point of time,” said Chelsea Jean-Michel, a wind analyst with BloombergNEF, a research and analysis firm.

Read the full article at E&E News

NEW JERSEY: Ørsted pulls plug on New Jersey offshore wind projects

November 2, 2023 — New Jersey’s leaders are blasting a decision by a Danish energy company to back away from two major offshore wind projects off the state’s coastline.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Ørsted announced that it is scrapping two large offshore wind power projects off the coast of New Jersey, delivering a major blow to the state’s clean energy plans and Gov. Phil Murphy’s push to put the coastal state at the forefront of the nation’s nascent offshore wind industry.

Murphy ripped the company’s decision to walk away from the projects, calling it “outrageous” and saying it “calls into question the company’s credibility and competence.”

“As recently as several weeks ago, the company made public statements regarding the viability and progress of the Ocean Wind 1 project,” he said.

Murphy said a provision of the company’s development agreement requires it to pay New Jersey $300 million to support the offshore wind sector if the projects don’t proceed.

“I have directed my administration to review all legal rights and remedies and to take all necessary steps to ensure that Orsted fully and immediately honors its obligations,” he said.

Read the full article at the Center Square

U.S. offshore wind sector ‘fundamentally broken’ – BP exec

November 1, 2023 — BP’s renewables boss said on Wednesday the U.S. offshore wind industry is “fundamentally broken” as BP and its partner Equinor (EQNR.OL) study options to develop huge projects off the coast of New York after writing down $840 million of their value.

The offshore wind industry, one of the fastest growing energy sectors, has recently suffered a string of major setbacks due to equipment reliability issues, supply chain problems and sharp cost increases.

Orsted (ORSTED.CO), the world’s largest offshore wind developer, on Wednesday flagged writedowns of up to $5.6 billion after halting the development of U.S. offshore wind projects.

Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, BP’s head of gas and low carbon, said that problems in the United States included permitting, the time lag between signing power purchase agreements and projects being built and a lack of inflationary adjustment mechanisms

Read the full article at Reuters

America’s Offshore Wind Ambitions Are Coming With Bigger Price Tags

November 1, 2023 — Soaring costs are pushing up the price of big wind-power projects, challenging the country’s shift to renewable energy and potentially leading to larger-than-expected bills for residents.

New York state officials in recent days unveiled a slate of wind-farm proposals that would result in higher electricity rates for residents than previously approved plans. That has firms behind older bids rushing to see if they can resubmit their plans at or near the new rate.

The projects are among the country’s biggest and are being closely watched because they show how a nascent industry that is key to the U.S. energy transition will work through the upheaval of escalating costs. The struggles are threatening delays in the current pipeline of projects, which analysts say could hamper the Biden administration’s offshore wind ambitions.

Read the full article at the Wall Street Journal

Orsted hit by up to $5.6 billion impairment on halted US projects

November 1, 2023 — Renewable energy firm Orsted (ORSTED.CO) on Wednesday halted the development of two U.S. offshore wind projects and said related impairments had surged above $5 billion, as the industry grapples with supply chain delays and higher costs.

Orsted, the world’s largest offshore wind developer, said it would stop developing its 2,248-megawatt (MW) Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects in New Jersey. Related impairments could amount to as much as 39.4 billion Danish crowns ($5.58 billion).

Its stock plunged as much as 22% to a six year low of 265 crowns.

The offshore wind industry has found itself in a perfect storm of rising inflation, interest rate hikes and supply chain delays, casting doubt on plans by U.S. President Joe Biden and several states to use offshore wind to replace fossil fuels in energy production to fight climate change.

On Tuesday, energy major BP (BP.L) booked a third-quarter writedown of $540 million on wind projects after officials in New York state rejected a request for better terms to reflect what BP called “inflationary pressures and permitting delays”.

Read the full article at Reuters

NEW JERSEY: Orsted scraps 2 offshore wind power projects in New Jersey, citing supply chain issues

November 1, 2023 — Danish energy developer Orsted said Tuesday night it is scrapping two large offshore wind power projects off the coast of New Jersey, adding uncertainty to a nascent industry the Biden administration and many state governments are counting on to help transition away from the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels.

The company said it is canceling its Ocean Wind I and II projects in southern New Jersey, citing supply chain issues and rising interest rates.

Orsted CEO Mads Nipper said in a statement the company was disappointed to be halting the projects because it believes the United States needs wind power to reduce carbon emissions.

“However, the significant adverse developments from supply chain challenges, leading to delays in the project schedule, and rising interest rates have led us to this decision,” Nipper said.

Orsted stands to lose a $100 million guarantee it posted with New Jersey earlier this month that it would build Ocean Wind I by the end of 2025. That money could be returned to ratepayers.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

Dominion wind farm gets key green light in U.S. environmental review

November 1, 2o23 — A federal environmental review gives a green light to Dominion Energy‘s $9 billion offshore wind farm, located about 25 miles into the Atlantic from Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront.

 Dominion calls for more solar facilities, including Powhatan, Hanover sites

The approval includes requirements aimed at reducing harm to the endangered North American Right Whale and at easing the impact of construction and operation of the wind farm on fisheries and ship traffic in and out of the world’s biggest Navy base and one of the nation’s busiest ports.

The review “weighed all concerns in making decisions regarding this Project and has determined that all practicable means within its authority have been adopted to avoid or minimize environmental and socioeconomic harm,” the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said.

It said pulling the plug on the wind farm “would still be expected to result in moderate, long-term, adverse impacts on regional air quality because other energy generation facilities would be needed.”

Those plants would be powered by fossil fuels which would emit pollutants and contribute to climate change.

Read the full article at Richmond Times-Dispatch

NEW JERSEY: ‘David defeats Goliath!’: South Jersey officials celebrate end of Ørsted offshore wind projects

November 1, 2023 — From anger in Trenton to disappointment in Atlantic City to celebration in Cape May County, Ørsted’s decision to end development of its Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects off the Jersey Shore delivered a mix of emotions.

In announcing the move Tuesday evening, executives with the Danish energy company cited high inflation, rising interest rates and supply chain issues.

“We are extremely disappointed to have to take this decision, particularly because New Jersey is poised to be a U.S. and global hub for offshore wind energy,” said David Hardy, group executive vice president and CEO Americas for the Danish energy company.

During a news conference Wednesday morning, Cape May County officials called Ørsted’s announcement a win for local shore communities.

“Anyone thinks that they’re going to walk and put their footprints on our beach better beware that they’re not coming into Cape May County, no way, no how,” said county Commissioner Director Leonard Desiderio.

Read the full article at the Press of Atlantic City

VIRGINIA: Feds approve Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind; first foundations arrive

November 1, 2023 — The Biden administration announced its approval Tuesday of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, the largest to date in U.S. waters with a planned maximum rating of 2,600 megawatts.

Eight steel monopile foundations arrived in Portsmouth, Va., Oct. 19, the first components for the planned 176 turbines in an $9.8 billion array starting 23.5 miles east of Virginia Beach, Va. It’s the fifth utility-scale wind project approved through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, following the Vineyard Wind 1, South Fork Wind and Revolution Wind projects off southern New England, and Ocean Wind 1 off New Jersey.  Together the projects will collectively generate more than 5 gigawatts of maximum potential.

But the CVOW approval also arrives amid broader turmoil in the renewable energy industry, beset by rapidly escalating costs and financial losses for developers and turbine manufacturers. Most recently four developers that sought bigger subsidies for projects off New York were rejected by New York State energy regulators, leaving the future of their plans in doubt.

Biden administration officials and CVOW developer Dominion Energy portrayed the approval Tuesday as a milestone. The project “is expected to provide about 900 jobs each year during the construction phase and support an estimated 1,100 annual jobs during the operations phase, generating vital economic development for Virginia’s Hampton Roads area and supporting investments in the Virginia coastal region as a hub for offshore wind development and support,” according to a prepared statement from BOEM.

Read the full article at WorkBoat