Description
Atlantic Shores is a 50/50 joint venture between EDF-RE Offshore Development, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of EDF Renewables, Inc. [EDF Renewables]) and Shell New Energies US LLC (Shell). Atlantic Shores has proposed the development two electrically distinct wind energy projects (Project 1 and Project 2) in Lease Area OCS-A 0499. Collectively these projects are referred to as the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind South Project (Atlantic Shores South). The total capacity of the wind farm area is up to 2.8 GW of which 1.5 GW is currently contracted to the state of New Jersey – enough to power more than 700,000 homes. Construction is expected to start in 2024 and Project 1 is expected to deliver its first power in 2027.
Atlantic Shores has signed up to lease 35 acres at the New Jersey Wind Port, the nation’s first purpose-built port for wind farm construction staging. Atlantic Shores has signed a Preferred Suppliers Agreement (PSA) with Vestas to supply offshore wind turbines for Project 1. Vestas plans to establish a nacelle assembly facility at the port. More information on the new port and Atlantic Shores can be found here.
Location
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind South is located approximately 14 km off the coast of New Jersey, in shallow water up to 37 m deep. Export cables will make landfall at two locations – Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Sea Girt, New Jersey. The project is closest to the New Jersey Wind Port, the nation’s first purpose-built port for wind farm construction staging.
Licensing Information
- July 2023: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) assessment complete
- July 2023: NOAA, Endangered Species Act (ESA) consult package complete
- July 2023: Fish and Wildlife Service, ESA consult (DOI-FWS) package complete
- May 2023: BOEM, publishes draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
- August 2023: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), OCS Air permit application complete
- October 2022: US Army Corps of Engineers – Regulatory, Section 10 Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 Clean Water Act permit application submitted
- October 2022: US Army Corps of Engineers – Civil Works, Section 408 Permit application submitted
- August 2022: NOAA, incidental take authorization (ITA) application complete
- August 2022: NOAA, EFH consult and ESA consult requests submitted
- September 2021: BOEM, Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
- September 2021: State Historic Preservation Officer/Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, consult initiated
Project Timeline
- 2027: Anticipated operations
- 2023: Anticipated constriction
- May 2023: BOEM announces availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement
- March 2021: Atlantic Shores submits Construction and Operations Plan to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
- 2019: Lease area OCS-A-0499 assigned to Atlantic Shores
- 2018: Lease area OCS-A-0499 assigned to EDF Renewables
- March 2016: US Wind acquires lease area OCS-A-0499
Key Environmental Issues
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind is actively working with the fishing community – both commercial and recreational – to understand their concerns and create a development plan with as little impact on fishing as possible. The team aims to find a balance in the shared use of the ocean by seeking to understand and mitigate any potential effects their activities may have on the environment, wildlife, and industries that fuel the local economies. Their fisheries communication plan outlines ways fishermen can communicate concerns to their development team and methods Atlantic Shores will utilize to keep the fishermen informed and educated about their projects.
Data collected during the 2019 survey efforts supported the selection of locations for the deployment of two data collection buoys within the Lease Area. The data collection buoys help to measure wind, ocean and weather conditions in order to inform the best development strategy for future turbines. Data from the buoys can be found here. Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind vessel tracking information for mariners is also available at the same website.
Atlantic Shores has performed extensive work to characterize the existing environment in and around their lease area and export routes and understand the potential interactions with our proposed projects, including conducting more than 35 environmental studies and surveys. Atlantic Shores will use the information gathered through these studies and surveys to inform how they construct, install, operate, maintain, and decommission their Projects while minimizing impacts to important resources to the extent practical, including the adoption of Environmental Protection Measures (EPMs) and Best Management Practices (BMPs). Further details of these studies and EPMs can be found in Atlantic Shores’ Construction and Operations Plan (COP).
Environmental Papers and Reports
- Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Construction and Operations Plan for Commercial Lease OCS (Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC, 2023)
- Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind South Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) (BOEM, 2023)
- Integrated Assessment of Seafloor and Subsurface Site Conditions at Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Farm Development (Varnell et al., 2023)
- A Geospatial Analysis of Species of Interest in US Atlantic Wind Energy Areas (O’Brien, 2023)
- CPT-Based Geotechnical Characterization of Foundation Zone Sediments at Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Farm Development (Trandafir et al., 2023)
- Cyclic Strength of Soils at Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Farm (Peralta et al., 2023)
- Offshore Wind Integrated Geoscience Approach Considering Regulatory Requirements and Project Design Essentials to Optimize Timelines Bringing Value to Project, Developer, and Consumer (Hargrave et al., 2023)
- Geo-Data Engagement – A Systems Thinking Approach to Advancing Offshore Wind Farm Development in the US (Rovang et al, 2023)
- Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) Near Offshore Wind Farm Areas Off the Coast of New Jersey (Pepper, 2023)
- Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project Site Assessment Plan (SAP) (Tetra Tech, 2019)
Baseline Assessment: Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind South
| Receptor | Design and Methods | Results | Publications | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bats | Boat-based acoustic surveys A single SM4Bat acoustic detector was deployed to record bat echolocation calls. It was deployed from 16 August – 18 November 2020 and 30 June – 1 November 2021. | Complete Detections included the eastern red bat, big brown bat, silver-haired bat, hoary bat, and Myotis species. No federally listed northern long-eared bats or Indiana bats were detected. | Biodiversity Research Institute 2021 | No data publicly available. |
| Birds | Satellite tagging 60 tags have been deployed on Red Knots in New Jersey (29 in 2020 and 31 in 2021). | Ongoing Of the 11 tags that returned data in 2020, 1 was recorded flying through the wind turbine area. 6 others may have flown through or near the area. | Biodiversity Research Institute 2021 | No data publicly available. |
| Birds, Marine Mammals | Data review and mapping Species-specific distribution products were acquired from the OBIS-SEAMAP model repository and processed to achieve equal temporal resolution across all species of interest. | Complete Zonal statistics were generated to estimate mean density of each species. | O'Brien 2023 | |
| Fish | Data review and mapping, software query Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) data were downloaded from the NOAA Fisheries EFH Data Inventory and queried using GIS software to obtain results for EFH designations within the wind farm area. | Complete A total of 36 fish and 5 invertebrate species have designated EFH for various life stages. The extend to which each species exists within the lease area at varying life stages has been characterized. Early life stages of EFH species that are benthic or demersally-oriented or later life stages of benthic-oriented sessile species are subject to greatest potential effects from temporary disturbance to their EFH. | Environmental Design & Research 2021 | No data publicly available. |
| Marine Mammals | Passive acoustic monitoring Three Marine Autonomous Recording Units (receivers) were deployed off the coast of New Jersey to listen for fin whales March 26 – December 4, 2008. | Complete Fin whales were found present for 40 out of 219 days of recording. | Pepper 2023 | No data publicly available. |
| Marine Mammals, Reptiles | Digital aerial surveys Surveys were flown across the lease area from October 2020 to May 2021 in spring, fall, and winter, to identify species of marine mammals and turtles. | Complete Thirty-eight species of marine mammals and four species of sea turtles occur regularly within the Northwest Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. Common dolphins were most common, and fin whales were least common. Kemp’s ridley turtle was the most common turtle. | Biodiversity Research Institute 2022 | No data publicly available. |
| Physical Environment | Benthic video and grab sampling Drop down video (DDV) and grab sampling occurred October 12-13, 2019. A total of 12 locations were surveyed within the lease area. | Complete High turbidity limited video data. The area includes sand and sand dollars, some gravel in the northern sites. | Zottoli et al. 2020, Morandi et al. 2021 | No data publicly available. |
Post-Construction Monitoring: Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind South
| Stressor | Receptor | Design and Methods | Results | Publications | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat Change | Fish, Invertebrates | Otter Trawl Survey The survey will follow a “Beyond BACI (Before/After and Control/Impact)” design. Two control areas outside the lease area will also be surveyed. Sampling will occur at least one year prior to construction, during construction, and in the three years post-construction. | Zottoli et al. 2021 | No data publicly available. | |
| Habitat Change | Fish, Invertebrates | Trap Survey Traps will be placed as close to the wind farm as possible, at regular distances from the wind turbines locations. Cameras will be added to each trap in one transect each sampling period. Sampling will occur for at least one year prior to construction, during construction when possible, and in the three years post-construction. | Zottoli et al. 2021 | No data publicly available. | |
| Habitat Change | Invertebrates | Clam dredge survey 48 tows will be completed in summer each year for one year prior to construction, during construction, and in the three years post-construction. A tow cable will be deployed for 5 minutes at 3 knots, and catch will be processed to identify weight of individual clam species caught. | Zottoli et al. 2021 | No data publicly available. | |
| Habitat Change | Physical Environment | Benthic video, grab sampling Video monitoring and grab sample surveys are planned within the first year after project completion, in year three, and in year five if necessary to establish whether benthic community metrics and habitats have recovered to similar states to what they were before impact. | Morandi et al. 2021 | No data publicly available. |