Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law late Thursday a bill giving state regulators the authority to seize property or grant easements for transmission lines carrying electricity from offshore windmills to the power grid.
Bill S-3926 (Sweeney D-3, Smith D-17) also grants the state Board of Public Utilities to supersede certain local government powers upon petition from offshore wind.
The legislation was supported by NJBIA. Wind power is a component of the Murphy administration’s goal to have net zero carbon emissions by 2050. An offshore wind project known as Ocean Wind, powered by Orsted and PSEG, is projected for completion in 2024. It includes 100 offshore turbines about 15 miles southeast of Atlantic City.
