Trump, New Jersey and the ‘War on Stupidity’

 It’s not easy to find a more expensive and unreliable way to generate power than constructing offshore wind farms. Now another one of them is suddenly looking less likely.

Steven Rodas reports on NJ.com:

Shell has effectively withdrawn from New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm, Atlantic Shores — marking the latest major setback to the state’s clean energy ambitions.

Spokespeople told NJ Advance Media on Thursday that the developer remained committed to the project.

At the end of last year, Atlantic Shores (made up of both Shell New Energies US and EDF Renewables North America) noted that its plans for nearly 200 wind turbines were on schedule.

The CEO of the developer also said construction on the wind farm — set to be built roughly 8.7 to 20 miles off the coast of New Jersey between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light — could begin some time in 2025.

 

We’ll see about that schedule, especially given how many people who live between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light—or just visit during the summer—can’t stand the idea. There’s also finally a needed skepticism about the overall environmental impact of constructing offshore wind farms, installing and operating them without disturbing aerial and marine life, and then disposing of the pieces as needed.

Then there’s the money. Mr. Rodas notes that “Shell’s Chief Financial Officer said in an earnings call Thursday that the company would, while retreating from the project, write-off… nearly $1 billion. That financially signals a significant pivot from previous plans.”

Yes it does. The enthusiasm for windy boondoggles that animates Gov. Phil Murphy (D., N.J.) somehow keeps getting sliced by the whooshing blade of financial reality. Then of course there is the new political reality of a U.S. president who doesn’t want to make taxpayers subsidize any more windmills. Mr. Rodas adds:

Trump previously called the Atlantic Shores offshore wind proposal “dead and gone”.

 

Well, Mr. Trump certainly expressed his hope for such an outcome. Last week after signing an executive order discouraging windy developments, Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform with his usual level of subtlety about “a large scale Windmill DISASTER off the coast of Southern New Jersey.” He added:

It needed MASSIVE GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY that was impossible to justify. Hopefully the project is dead and gone, as almost all unsightly and environmentally unsound Windmill project should be. Congratulations to the great people of New Jersey. You have FINALLY won your war on stupidity!!!

 

The project was thought by some to be safe from Trump executive orders because it has already received critical permitting. But that doesn’t automatically mean it’s financially viable.

Amanda Oglesby reports for the Asbury Park Press:

“Business plans, projects, portfolio projections and scopes evolve over time – and as expected for large, capital-intensive infrastructure projects like ours, our shareholders have always prepared long-term strategies that contemplate multiple scenarios that enable Atlantic Shores to reach its full potential,” a company spokesperson said in an email…

It was not immediately clear how Atlantic Shores’ leadership plans to move forward without Shell’s support. When asked if Atlantic Shores would seek a new company to partner with EDF Renewables and replace Shell, a spokesperson declined to respond.

 

Perhaps the war against expensive and intermittent energy production isn’t quite over. But no doubt there are a lot of people along the Jersey Shore tonight who feel like they are winning—and are not at all sick of it.

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