New Jersey Wants To Be Leader In Wind Power

Atlantic City, NJ (AHN) - The state of New Jersey has laid out an ambitious plan to become the world leader in use of wind-generated power by 2020 by building a 345 megawatt wind farm southeast of the Atlantic City.

Governor Jon Corzine reportedly said Monday that the plan was to harness the potential wind source off the coast and bring economic development, environmental benefits, and new, green jobs to the Garden State.

Under the plan, New Jersey will triple its wind power output to 3,000 megawatts, or 13 percent of the state's total energy, and enough to power between 800,000 to one million homes.

The announcement came after New Jersey approved last week the construction of a $1 billion offshore wind farm in the ocean about 16 miles southeast of Atlantic City.

The contract was awarded to Garden State Offshore Energy, a join venture that includes P.S.E.G. Renewable Generation, a subsidiary of P.S.E.G. Global, which is a sister company of the state`s largest utility, Public Service Electric and Gas Company.

The contract includes $19 million in state grants, which is part of New Jersey`s Energy Master Plan, which calls for 20 percent of the state`s energy to come from renewable sources by 2020. Environmentalist Dena Mottola Jaborska, executive director of Environment New Jersey, welcomed the plan which she described as a move toward a new energy future.

Currently, there is no offshore wind power in the U.S., although plans have been approved off Rhode Island and Delaware.