In November 2019, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order No. 92 (“EO92”), increasing the State’s offshore wind energy generation goal to 7,500 MW by 2035 to help NJ meet the goals of using 50 percent renewable energy by 2030 and 100 percent clean energy by 2050. But offshore wind energy in NJ is currently in a state of uncertainty due to federal policy, challenging economic realities, the cancellation of major agreements (like the 1.5 GW Atlantic Shores project), and project buyouts that have largely stalled development.
In January 2025, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum that indefinitely halted all federal approvals necessary for the development of offshore wind energy projects. The following May, NJ Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its unlawful attempt to halt the development of wind energy.
After a federal judge in December 2025 struck down Trump executive order that indefinitely froze permits and leasing for wind energy projects, the Administration paused the leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects under construction on the East Coast due to unspecified national security risks identified by the Pentagon. But on June 15, 2026, US District Court Judge Patti Saris ruled that Trump’s January 2025 executive order was unlawful, finding the sweeping ban on wind projects was “arbitrary and capricious” and exceeded the president’s authority. The Trump administration then abandoned its effort to halt wind energy projects across the US and tossed President Trump’s order freezing federal permitting and leasing for wind projects.
The Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) regulates wind energy activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). In NJ, federal waters commence three nautical miles off the Atlantic coast and BOEM has been facilitating lease sales of OCS blocks for the development of offshore wind energy facilities. For more information on the status of the wind projects offshore visit: https://www.boem.gov/New-Jersey/ .
New Jersey Offshore Wind Port
The New Jersey Wind Port is the first purpose-built wind port on the East Coast, with no vertical restrictions and easy access to more than 50 percent of the available US offshore wind lease areas. The port is located in Lower Alloways Creek, bringing new jobs and investments, particularly in South Jersey and Salem County.
The Wind Port is intended to support offshore wind activities but has the potential for additional expansion to include co-located offshore wind manufacturing activities — with a potential developable footprint of over 200 acres. The Port can be home to multiple manufacturing facilities that will build the necessary components for offshore wind turbines. It is also strategically situated for component staging, final assembly and transport.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority is leading the development of the project, working alongside key departments and agencies such as the Governor’s Office, the Department of Treasury, the Department of Transportation and the Board of Public Utilities. With no offshore wind farm construction currently underway in NJ, the NJEDA is now seeking another use for the Wind Port.