It is an indication of the scale of projects to be proposed for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) auction on 9 November for two wind-development tracts off New Jersey.
"That’s where the economies of scale are going to be," said Paul Gallagher, the company’s chief operating officer and general counsel of the Fishermen’s Offshore New Jersey project, 11 kilometers off Atlantic City, east US, in federal waters.
"When we first announced the project [in 2007-8], we thought 330MW was a big lift. Now we think that 1,000MW if a big lift. It is pretty much the European experience."
Thirteen companies have been pre-qualified for the auction. They include EDF Renewable Energy, US Wind Inc, Iberdrola Renewables, OffshoreMW, US Mainstream Renewable Power, Energy Management Inc and RES America.
Fishermen’s will proceed with the deep-water project regardless of what happens to its 25MW demo proposal for state waters 4.5 kilometers off Atlantic City.
The company has appealed to the state Supreme Court regarding regulators’ repeated denial of the Fishermen's Atlantic City Windfarm (FACW). A ruling is expected in 2016.