On Wednesday this week, Mayor Steven Fulop welcomed EnBW North America to Jersey City in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. New Jersey Economic Development Authority Senior Vice President Brian Sabina and others gathered to officially open the German subsidiary’s first U.S. office and marking its entrance into the competitive New Jersey/New York offshore wind market.
EnBW AG, the parent company of EnBW North America has nearly a decade of European offshore wind experience. The company developed Germany’s first commercial offshore wind project in 2011 and is currently developing a 900 MW project in the North Sea that sets a precedent in that it will be built without public subsidy. It has a portfolio of nearly 1,000 MW of offshore wind projects under operation or construction in Europe and more than 3,000 MW under development globally.
“With combined targets of nearly 13 gigawatts, New Jersey and New York are poised to lead the growth of the US offshore wind market,” EnBW North America Managing Director Bill White said. “We are proud to open this office in Jersey City, so that we can learn directly from the communities we hope to serve, as we develop competitive projects that deliver clean energy and jobs to the region.”
“Establishing our first US office here in Jersey City is a major milestone for our company,” said Holger Grubel, EnBW’s Head of Offshore Wind Portfolio Development. “We intend to combine our unique blend of German engineering expertise with our local team’s know-how in energy policy and community engagement to advance the region’s goals for clean energy, economic development, and environmental stewardship.”
In the Northeast U.S., the company’s focus is on the New Jersey/New York market, with the Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM) lease auction for the New York Bight expected in early 2020. EnBW North America has joined the New York Offshore Wind Alliancesqtszvcwcvxwvcxcyczavb. EnBW North America is also looking to support regional wind development in northern New England and recently became the first offshore wind developer member of Clean Energy New Hampshire. On the West Coast, EnBW North America is the majority owner of Castle Wind, the nation’s first proposed floating offshore wind project off Morro Bay California.
EnBW has recently expanded into Asia as well as North America.
