Ocean City Council Continues To Discuss Wind Farm Concerns

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Council members continued to raise concerns about a proposed offshore wind energy farm along the South Jersey coast on Thursday.

The wind farm project proposed by the Danish energy company Ørsted includes 99 wind turbines stationed about 15 miles offshore from Atlantic City to Stone Harbor. Ørsted has announced that it plans to have the wind farm operational by 2024.

During the council meeting, Mayor Jay Gillian said public comment sessions are expected to take place in spring or summer for people to express opposition or share support for the project.

Following the public comment sessions, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Projection will rule on the safety and environmental impact of the project.

“I will continue to provide information and updates to the public, and I will do everything I can to make sure whatever happens Ocean City benefits from this project,” Gillian said.

Gillian said city officials will be meeting with Ørsted representatives soon to gather more details about the project.

Councilman Michael DeVlieger noted that the wind farm could negatively impact Ocean City’s tourism industry and the Atlantic Flyway, a major bird route along the coast.

“Given the amount of tourism we actually have for birdwatchers, it’s hard to go by the Welcome Center or the park down at the other end of the island and not see people out there bird watching with their cameras and binoculars," DeVlieger said. "I would really hate to start messing with the migratory patterns of birds and mother nature."

Councilman Tom Rotondi also raised concerns about how the wind farm may affect the commercial fishing industry, adding that the more he looks into the project “the scarier it is.”

DeVlieger said the overwhelming response from the public so far has been against the project, though he encouraged people who support the project to also share their opinions.

“I think every day we need to dig into this further and look on how it’s going to impact us,” DeVlieger said.

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