Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Offshore Wind Transmission topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Offshore wind advocates urge BPU to advance transmission planning after August delay
Summary
The New Jersey Offshore Wind Alliance told the Board of Public Utilities that transmission modernization and coordinated planning are essential to scale offshore wind; the group expressed disappointment in an August decision to delay a state agreement approach and urged the board to continue planning and investment.
Paulina O'Connor, executive director of the New Jersey Offshore Wind Alliance, used the board's quarterly public comment period to urge policymakers to accelerate transmission planning and permitting reform to support offshore wind development in New Jersey.
"There is no transition without transmission," O'Connor said, praising the BPU's August resource adequacy conference and staff work while urging an "all of the above" energy planning approach that includes offshore wind. She recommended streamlining permitting, aligning state incentives with federal programs to attract private investment, supporting workforce training for clean-energy jobs, and modernizing transmission to integrate more wind, solar and storage.
O'Connor noted industry challenges at the federal level and said the alliance was "hopeful" that a recent board decision in August to delay the state agreement approach was a pause rather than a cancellation. She also said the alliance will respond to the Northeast States Collaborative request for information on interregional transmission planning and encouraged continued collaboration with PJM to address reliability and integration concerns.
The board acknowledged the comments; no vote or regulatory action on transmission policy was taken at this meeting.
