Three companies instead of one are moving ahead with plans to build wind farms off the south Jersey coast.
The state's Board of Public Utilities has approved a $12 million rebate program.
The companies will receive $4 million if they construct towers offshore to gather weather information by the end of next year for wind farms that generate at least 200 megawatts of energy.
The state in October picked Garden State Offshore Energy to explore building what could be the nation's first offshore wind farm.
But Gov. Jon S. Corzine now wants to generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind power by 2012. That would triple by 2020.
So Bluewater Wind and Fishermen's Energy became eligible for the exploratory funding.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
