Jersey shore towns like Brigantine, Margate and Ocean City are learning more about offshore wind farms being planned. Just off their beaches.
They don’t like what they’re hearing. But is it too late to stop it?
A Danish power company named Orsted wants to build 99 offshore wind turbines from Brigantine to Stone Harbor.
NJ Gov. Phil Murphy is supporting the project with taxpayer dollars.
This particular Orsted wind farm is slated for completion in 2024.
NOTE: Fossil fuel burning back-ups will take over when wind not blowing or turbine is offline for repair. So far, batteries have yet to be developed that can store energy generated from the rotating blades.
Balanced media coverage has been sparse. Generally pro-wind. Little coverage of potential downsides of experimental wind turbines.
Opponents fear ocean based wind turbines will hurt tourism, real estate values, fishing, migratory birds and various marine life.
One developer, a Danish company called Orsted, is reportedly burning thru cash as they prepare to start the project expected to finish by 2024.
NJ Gov Phil Murphy wants to top his predecessor’s legacy by building the country’s largest, experimental wind farm subsidized by New Jersey taxpayers.
Former NJ Gov Chris Christie will forever be known for his 50 year, taxpayer funded, one-size-fits-all, dune-boggle.
So far, Ocean City could have the most to lose. Plans are for power lines to landing on their shores and snake thru town just below street level.
Orsted needs to land power cables on the beaches of Ocean City, then install underground transmission lines through the town.
Gigantic wind turbines off the coast of Ocean City would create a visual blight from the beach.
The Murphy administration dismissed claims of environmental, health and financial impact of Orsted powerlines tunneling through Ocean City.
Potential compromise?
- Giant turbines shouldn’t be seen from shorelines. In some towns, towering turbines could be just 8 miles off the beach, instead of 15.
- Commercial and recreational fishing concerns.
- Potential threats to environment and marine life have not been adequately addressed.
NJ State has yet to release copies of Orsted’s environmental studies.
8 miles off shore, you would barely see them. Wake up people, these are needed for the environment and it will create a lot of highly paid jobs.
So looking out your window at a Ferris wheel or the lights of a casino is OK but a tiny spec out in the ocean is a problem? What snobs you all are. When all of these shore towns are underwater or massively flooded during high tides, your children and grandchildren will ask why you didn’t do anything? Sorry, but these projects should be built and more more all over the coast.
1. An object that is 848 ft tall can be seen at a distance of 42 miles ( line of sight calculation)
2. FAA regulations require flashing lights on Windmills
The proposed windmills will be as tall as Ocean, so the real question here is not “will I see them from the beach” but “how easily will I see them” and “will they be a blight on the shoreline.” the answer is simple….why risk it? We only get 1 chance to do this right and if we get it wrong, it will ruin the shoreline vistas forever. I think that most people don’t have an issue with the idea of wind turbines themselves, only their proximity to the beach. The cost to locate them further out is negligible relative to the total project cost. Move them another 10 miles out, and the problem goes away.
Who in the hell ever in a million years ever wants to look out to a beautiful natural horizon and see windmills ? Are you nuts ?
if you drive over the Longport bridge (towards the ocean) and look to the left, you’ll notice that you can easily see the windmills in AC. These windmills are 7.6 miles away and stand at a height of 262 feet. Orsted’s projected windmill height is over 860 feet….more than 3 times taller then the existing in AC. The statement that “you would barely see them” doesn’t seem accurate unless of course, you don’t look in the direction of the ocean.
Other Countries are getting involved in OUR Ocean. The sonar testing is killing the beached Whales and Dolphins. You and your POWER TO THE PEOPLE with your “highly paid jobs”. By the time you fools are done, there will not be any beauty left to sit back and retire off of all those “highly paid jobs”. Your kind wants to change the landscape and the Country. And Patriots like me will not allow your WOKENESS.
The environment is a TOOL to achieve POWER more than it is an end goal of itself to actually PROTECT nature. We are under existential threat. I’m amazed at the stupidity of the “elite” experts on this.
Please look deeper into your research. Trusting the science/information in the mainstream press by “elite” scientists? and NGO reps and the lot is a dangerous path to take. Trust??
Move them out to sea another 10 miles or better yet build them off the Delaware shore.
How many times will they close the beach when there’s lightning in the area and if it comes through Ocean City and they get struck by lightning does everybody in water get electrocuted? There can be weeks when there’s storms in the afternoon every day does that mean beaches will be closed everyday?
The time has come, technology is mature and wind companies have worked with all stakeholder for years, changing plans to accomodate everyone. No windmill closer than 15 mies. If you are concerned about enviro/visual/valuation impact then get those proposing the project (wind company, Gov Murphy’s office/others) to put you in touch with communities that have offshore windfarms. NIMBY reaction without educating one’s self is not helpful. Gazillions of analyses have been done for this project, get them and read them
– an annual Ocean City visitor
The reps from these companies didn’t show up to our town meeting. They do not care what residents want or what havoc it could wreak upon a fragile ecosystem. It’s a money grab. I don’t want these things, and the more I read the worse they sound.
Sincerely,
A Brig RESIDENT. Year round!
We’re snobs because we don’t want to look at these mammoth structures YEAR ROUND? WE pay taxes YEAR ROUND and we’re snobs?
The Ferris Wheel and other rides take up a very small fraction of boardwalk.
They want to build 3,000 of these things down the Easter Coastline. “CAT” was right – the reps from the companies DO NOT show up to the meetings.
Some meetings were held in late December 2022, when people are busy with the holidays. They never even announced the meetings so how could the public even voice their opinion?
Now we have 25 dead whales and some dolphins washing up on shore.
There simply has not been enough long term research to support the so called findings that this isn’t affecting the environment/marine life. Let us know how much your energy bill costs when all this goes into play.
I’m all for green energy but not at the cost of the actual environment. What it takes to build and sustain the turbines is pretty awful…so much for “green energy”. What a joke.