Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm

Leeward Renewable EnergyAtlantic CountyPJM

Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm is a 7.5 MW onshore wind facility with a single generator entry in Atlantic County, New Jersey, that began commercial operation in March 2006. The five 1.5 MW GE turbines stand on land owned by the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) at its wastewater treatment plant in Atlantic City, and the site is described by its current owner, Leeward Renewable Energy, as reaching commercial operation in 2006. It is widely cited as the first coastal wind farm in the United States and the first utility-scale wind project in New Jersey. Under a 20-year power purchase agreement, ACUA buys the output at a fixed $0.0795 per kilowatt-hour, a rate now roughly half the market price, while Leeward pays ACUA rent for the land; that original 20-year agreement is expiring and the two parties are negotiating a renewal that could reset the price. The turbines supply a majority of the treatment plant's electricity needs, with surplus power sold onto the PJM grid. The plant sells into PJM and settles near its own collector point at the Ontario substation adjacent to the site.