ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – The U.S. Department of the Interior on Tuesday approved New Jersey’s proposed Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm, giving a major boost to a project that would be the state’s first.
The project still requires additional federal approval of its construction and operations plan, along with two state permits, before construction can begin.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the department’s decision marked the ninth offshore wind project approved under the Biden administration, giving the green light to 13 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power 5 million homes.
“The Biden-Harris administration is building momentum every day for our clean energy future, and today’s milestone is another step toward our ambitious goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030,” she said in a communicated. “Our clean energy future is now a reality. We are addressing climate change, promoting job growth and promoting equitable economic opportunities for all communities.”
The project, consisting of two phases, would be built between Atlantic City and Long Beach Island, in southern New Jersey. It would generate 2,800 megawatts, enough to power 1 million homes.
“This milestone brings us one step closer to delivering New Jersey’s first offshore wind projects and the state reaching its ambitious goal of 100% clean energy by 2035,” said Joris Veldhoven, CEO of Atlantic Shores, in a statement. “We recognize the importance of this milestone and are excited to work with our supply chain partners to continue making near-term investments and creating good-paying union jobs.”
Atlantic Shores, which received preliminary approval in 2021 by New Jersey utility regulators, has already come almost as far as a previously approved project that would have been New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm. Danish wind developer Orsted was close to starting work on two offshore wind farms but withdrew from the project in October 2023, after deciding it would not be economical.
The Interior Department said the Atlantic Shores project would be about 9 miles offshore at its closest point. But the company had already said it would not build up to that line and that the closest turbines would be at least 20 kilometers from the coast.
Atlantic Shores is a joint partnership between Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF-RE Offshore Development LLC.
The Department of the Interior approved the construction of 195 wind turbines as part of the project; the company had sought as many as 200.
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