Offshore wind company partners with N.J. university to train protected species observers – NJ.com

The wave of offshore wind jobs continued to grow this month with an expanded partnership between a European power company and a South Jersey university.

The new effort between Danish energy giant rsted and Stockton University will train six Protected Species Observers to monitor mitigation of the North Atlantic Right Whale and other marine wildlife, such as harbor seals. The university, with campuses in Galloway and Atlantic City, will offer a certificate program for the training.

rsted and Stockton were already working together to support research for alternative energy, climate change and resiliency.

Other offshore energy job training being offered includes a program at Rowan University. It received $500,000 in federal funding in March to create a curriculum of courses that ranges from one week to four years for up to 400 jobs in every level of maintenance and safety of the massive turbines, some of which are scheduled to be assembled on an artificial island built by the state in Lower Alloways Creek, Salem County.

Additional training programs for technicians to assemble the massive monopiles for wind turbines in Paulsboro is also underway.

Gov. Phil Murphy has pledged to add 7,500 megawatts generated by offshore wind turbines to New Jerseys power grid by 2035. It is a critical part of his energy master plan, which calls for the state to get 50% of its power from renewables by 2030, and 100% by 2050. The effort is meant to wean the state off fossil fuels and slash New Jerseys contributions to climate change.

This collaboration with rsted and Ocean Wind will support important research at Stockton and prepare Stockton students to participate in the new clean energy economy while using their education and talents to protect the marine environment and the most vulnerable of its species, Peter F. Straub, dean of Stocktons School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, said in a statement.

rsteds Ocean Wind 1 offshore wind farm is scheduled to be operational in 2024 with 97, 900-foot tall wind turbines located 15 miles off of Ocean City.

Once certified, the observers will be utilized by Ocean Wind 1 and other regional offshore wind farms during site investigations, construction and operational activities to monitor, record and share sightings of North Atlantic Right Whales and other protected marine life.

The new program will also provide funding that will enable Stockton University to study harbor seals in southern New Jersey. Harbor seals, which can be found on the East Coast from the Canadian Arctic to the Mid-Atlantic, are susceptible to habitat loss and degradation.

Supporters of the Ocean Wind 1 project say it will produce clean energy and jobs, while detractors say the massive turbines will mar a pristine horizon, have a negative impact on marine life, and initially raise consumers utility bills.

The plan to bury power cables from an offshore wind project under a prime stretch of beach in Ocean City is set to move forward despite objections from the local government and residents.

Ocean City officials said they oppose a 2021 New Jersey law that gives wind energy projects approved by the state public utilities board the authority to locate, build, use and maintain wires and associated land-based infrastructure as long as they run underground on public property including streets. rsted is seeking an easement from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to put cables under land owned by Ocean City that includes a beachfront with luxury homes, some valued in the millions of dollars.

We continue to engage with local officials as this petition advances and aim to negotiate agreements with local communities that facilitate the development of offshore wind and benefit all New Jerseyans, rsted said in a statement.

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Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com.

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Offshore wind company partners with N.J. university to train protected species observers - NJ.com