Proposed New Jersey Offshore Wind Farm Seeks to Cancel Regulatory Licenses
After a series of problems and strong opposition locally and from Donald Trump, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind made it official that it is backing away from its plan for a 1.5 GW wind farm off New Jersey. Media reports indicate the company filed a petition with New Jersey regulators to cancel licenses it has held since 2021.
Atlantic Shores was developing Project 1, a proposed 1.5 GW wind farm which it said would provide power for approximately 700,000 homes. It has repeatedly cited the project as the most developed of the proposals for New Jersey. In October 2024, it received Construction and Operations Plan (COP) approvals from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for both phases one and two of its plan, or a total of 2.8 GW of power capacity.
Despite saying it stood ready to deliver, the project had not been selected by New Jersey regulators for a power purchase agreement. New Jersey in February 2025 closed its fourth round without selecting any projects. Atlantic Shores was one of three projects bidding in the round.
The company was established as a joint venture between Shell and EDF Renewables but early in 2025, Shell announced it was backing away from its investments into offshore wind power. Atlantic Shores however said it was still committed to proceeding with its plan which also called for investments in New Jersey’s planned Wind Port in the southern part of the state in Salem, New Jersey.
Donald Trump had campaigned in New Jersey in 2024 specifically mentioning this project in his opposition to offshore wind power. In January, Trump signed an executive order freezing permitting and putting the sector under review. Shortly after that, the Environmental Protection Agency withdrew approval on an air quality permit for Atlantic Shores that would have covered construction and operations. EPA said the permitting had been rushed and required more review.
Atlantic Shores is reported to have filed on June 4 with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to terminate its Offshore Renewable Energy Certificates (OREC). The board meets monthly with its next session scheduled for June 18.
The withdrawal is the latest blow for the industry and specifically New Jersey which has not been able to move forward with the governor’s plans. Murphy originally called for 3.5 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 but later revised the plan to 7.5 GW by 2035. The state’s first setback came in late 2023 when Ørsted canceled plans for two large offshore projects that were set to begin construction. Governor Murphy’s term comes to an end in early 2026 likely without any wind projects approved for construction.
Atlantic Shores holds three lease areas totaling more than 400 square miles off the New Jersey coast near Atlantic City and in the New York Bight. According to media reports, the company referred in the filing to this period as a “reset” while saying it remains “ready to deliver.”
The filing, the Asbury Park Press newspaper reports, cites the uncertainty caused by the Presidential Wind Memorandum. It also cites the loss of the EPA permit and other actions taken by the “current administration.” It says that it was forced to materially reduce personnel, terminate contracts, and cancel planned project investments.
Another proposed offshore wind farm for New Jersey, Leading Light, has also delayed its review process with regulators. It cited problems in completing its plan due to challenges locating an alternate turbine manufacturer after GE Vernova canceled plans for its 18 MW turbine. The project, which is being led by Chicago-based Invenergy and energyRE, asked the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities for delays after it won its approvals in January 2024 for a massive 2.4 GW wind farm to be located approximately 40 miles off the southern New Jersey coast.
Top photo by by Bruce Emmlering (Public domain Free Photo)
