By William O’Hearn, Business Network for Offshore Wind
The morning after the Business Network for Offshore Wind’s IPF conference, on Thursday, April 11, NJ EDA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey organized a driving tour of some of the top offshore wind possible port locations in the New York-New Jersey harbor area.
The tour started with a presentation by the Port Authority at their Port Elizabeth site, where Bethann Rooney, Assistant Director, Strategy & Innovation, Ports Department, presented some excellent maps of the harbor area and pointed out some potential sites that would be suitable for offshore wind. She also stated that the Port Authority would be interested in investing in both improving their own port areas and possibly purchasing privately-held sites if they had support from New York and New Jersey state governments and other potential partners.
The group of 16 attendees, which included some European and U.S. suppliers, then hit the road, exploring some vacant land in Port Elizabeth, where they spotted a seal resting at the water’s edge, World War II era bomb-proof buildings along Jersey City’s waterfront, and some impressive warehousing and dock space at Kearny Point. The group agreed that these areas had excellent potential for the entire range of offshore wind needs, from manufacturing and storage to assembly and O&M. They were also impressed with the involvement and understanding of the industry demonstrated by the Port Authority, which bodes well for future projects in the New York-New Jersey area.
