TotalEnergies says New Jersey offshore wind plan still live as Trump win puts New York on ice
French oil giant with partner Corio says Attentive Energy 2 still advancing after CEO Pouyanne signals pause to sister project
A partnership of TotalEnergies and global developer Corio said it remains committed to advancing offshore wind to power New Jersey despite hitting the pause button on a sister project to serve New York.
“We have an offtake contract with the state of New Jersey for Attentive Energy Two and we are advancing the project with the milestones ahead.”
Attentive Energy 2 was awarded a deal in January this year in New Jersey’s Round 3 procurement process with a 20-year offtake contract estimated at $131/MWh.
The project's Site Assessment Plan was approved by federal regulator Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), allowing the developers to begin wind speed measurements and subsea surveys.
It will need to file a Construction and Operations Plan, with BOEM, which will conduct an Environmental Impact Statement, both of which will take years for approval, a timeline likely further delayed by the incoming Trump administration.
The President-elect has vowed to stop development “on day one” of his next term starting 20 January 2025 – a pledge he first made at a rally in New Jersey itself.
TotalEnergies' Pouyanne said yesterday that the developer is mothballing its 1.3GW Attentive Energy 1 array to New York following the election of Trump.
“I have decided to put the project on pause,” Pouyanne said at an energy conference in London on Tuesday.
The oil major's CEO reportedly added that “we'll see better in four years... the advantage is that it's only for four years”.
Both New York and New Jersey are leaders in US offshore wind, with ambitious targets and millions invested in port and supply chain infrastructure.
Attentive 1, which also includes local power company Rise Light & Power among its ownership base, had originally been contracted by New York in the state’s Round 3 that collapsed in 2023 after GE Vernova withdrew its expected 18MW turbine, throwing project economics into disarray.
The consortium had previously announced in October its decision to withdraw from New York’s Round 5 tender.
The JV minus Rise Light & Power has also bid into New Jersey’s ongoing Round 4 for up to 4GW of capacity but declined to comment further “on the competitive process of an open bid at this time”.
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