Norcross, Murphy, and Labor Secretary Walsh Break Ground on the New Jersey Wind Port

CHERRY HILL, NJ – U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) today joined Governor Phil Murphy, U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Senate President Steve Sweeney, President of the New Jersey State Building & Construction Trades Council Bill Mullen, AECOM Tishman Community Relations Director Flora Ramos, elected officials, union leaders, environmental advocates, private sector partners, and representatives of the offshore wind industry for the groundbreaking of the New Jersey Wind Port, a first-in-the-nation infrastructure investment that will provide a location for essential staging, assembly, and manufacturing activities related to offshore wind projects on the East Coast.

In addition to the groundbreaking ceremony, the event also included the signing of a project labor agreement (PLA) for the project between AECOM-Tishman and the United Building Trades Council of Southern New Jersey AFL-CIO.

The largest economic investment in Salem County in decades, the New Jersey Wind Port has the potential to create up to 1,500 manufacturing, assembly, and operations jobs, as well as hundreds of union construction jobs in New Jersey. Manufacturing and marshaling projects supported by the Wind Port will drive economic growth in Salem County, in South Jersey, and throughout the state. Through the PLA signed today, the Murphy Administration has delivered on its commitment to using union labor to construct the Wind Port while setting a new standard for inclusion of minority and women workers and business owners.

“South Jersey is becoming the hub of wind energy – meeting the challenge of climate change head-on,” said Congressman Donald Norcross. “Tropical Storm Ida tragically underscored just how urgent the need for climate action is. The Alloway Wind Port will create good-paying union jobs and help revitalize local economies. It will secure America’s energy independence while also making our grid more resilient. And we’re only just starting to build back better. The bipartisan infrastructure bill includes once-in-a-generation investments in clean energy technologies that will benefit New Jersey and the nation, creating good-paying jobs, improving our environment, and bringing our nation’s infrastructure in the 21st century.”

“Investing in offshore wind is vital to building a stronger, greener economy that creates high-paying jobs to support a robust recovery from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and paves the way for long-term, equitable growth,” said Governor Murphy. “The New Jersey Wind Port will create thousands of high-quality jobs, bring millions of investment dollars to our state, and establish New Jersey as the national capital of offshore wind.”

“The New Jersey Wind Port represents the kind of technological innovation, broad-based partnership, and bold investment that we need to meet the climate challenge and create good jobs and an inclusive workforce in our country,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “This project and the good jobs that come with it serves as an important model for future infrastructure investments in this country.”

“Today’s groundbreaking represents the first step in a new era of economic development and job growth in South Jersey, with the ability to produce economic benefits for generations to come,” said Senate President Steve Sweeney. “Wind energy is our future – it’s clean, it’s safe, and it offers the opportunity for New Jersey to be a dominant leader in creating a new sector for our nation’s economy. Bringing offshore wind manufacturing to New Jersey is key to making the state a hub of the supply chain for wind energy products and services. The collaboration between the public and private sectors to get this done is a powerful reminder of what we have to do to create economic opportunities and what we can do to promote offshore wind energy.”

Today’s groundbreaking marks the next step in developing the New Jersey Wind Port as a hub for offshore wind. In June, Governor Murphy signed the Fiscal Year 2022 state budget, which included $200 million allocated for the development of the New Jersey Wind Port; this is in addition to $13 million from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and $44 million in partnership with New Jersey Department of Transportation for dredging. In July, the NJEDA announced AECOM-Tishman as the Construction Manager (CM) for the project.

The New Jersey Wind Port will be located on an artificial island on the eastern shores of the Delaware River, southwest of the City of Salem. The site was selected in June 2020 after a 22-month assessment process, including engagement with industry, government, and environmental stakeholders and the NJEDA has been preparing the site and finalizing design since summer 2020. It is more than five miles from the nearest New Jersey residential area and provides ample space to grow operations over time.

Long term, the New Jersey Wind Port has the potential for over 150 acres of manufacturing parcels and hundreds of manufacturing jobs. Several potential tenants have already expressed interest in the site, including Ørsted and Atlantic Shores through their winning bids in NJBPU’s recent offshore wind power solicitation. Both offshore wind developers indicated they intend to build their projects at the Wind Port. The winning bids also included proposals to partner with turbine manufacturers GE and Vestas to build nacelle assembly facilities at the port. The NJEDA will be launching an additional tenant selection process in the coming weeks to negotiate agreements with these potential tenants.

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