The Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind JV will develop an offshore wind lease first awarded to US Wind — a subsidiary of Italian developer Renexia — by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in November 2015.
The acquisition follows Shell’s success, in partnership with EDP Renováveis (EDPR), in the Massachusetts lease sale in mid-December, which attracted record prices.
US Wind secured the 742km2 lease three years ago for just over $1 million. By comparison, Shell-EDPR’s Mayflower Wind Energy JV secured a 515.5km2 lease in Massachusetts for $135 million.
EDF said the New Jersey area could host roughly 2.5GW of offshore wind capacity just 12km from the state’s coast.
The zone lies adjacent to a second lease area, which was also auctioned in 2015, and is now owned by developer Ørsted.
"Shell has bold ambitions to grow our renewable power business, and we see great potential in US offshore wind," said Dorine Bosman, vice president of Shell Wind Development.
"Gaining access to this acreage in New Jersey complements our successful entry to Massachusetts and our existing renewable generation business."
Shell is also part of a consortium developing the 700MW Borssele III & IV offshore site in the Netherlands.
EDF Renewables, meanwhile, had its 25MW Nautilus offshore wind project rejected by state authorities on 18 December after it failed to prove the necessary benefits to the local area.
It had been developing the site with local firm Fisherman’s Energy.
EDF is also involved in 2.8GW of offshore wind projects, either in development or operating, in Europe, the France-based group claimed.
