New Jersey offshore wind farm gets green light from US Department of Interior

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has approved the Atlantic Shores South offshore wind project off the coast of New Jersey. It is the ninth commercial-scale offshore wind project in the United States to be approved since the start of the current administration.

With the approval issued Tuesday, July 2, DOI has approved more than 13 GW of clean energy from offshore wind projects. The department says that’s enough energy to power nearly five million homes.

The Atlantic Shores South Wind Project consists of two wind farms—Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project 1 and 2—and associated export cables that are expected to generate up to 2,800 MW of electricity, enough to power nearly one million homes with clean, renewable energy. The project is located about 8.7 miles (kilometers) off the New Jersey coast at its closest point.

To provide power to New Jersey, Atlantic Shores South has proposed up to 200 wind turbines and up to ten offshore substations with submarine transmission cables that would potentially reach Atlantic City and Sea Girt, New Jersey. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has approved construction of up to 195 wind turbines.

On May 23, 2024, BOEM released a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed project. The EIS analyzed the potential environmental impacts of the activities identified in the project’s construction and operations plan and considered reasonable alternatives.

BOEM held four public meetings and inter-county consultations during the public comment period on the draft EIS to gather valuable feedback from tribes, government agencies, ocean users, and others. The feedback led to the identification of measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate potential impacts of the project, including visual impacts and potential impacts to marine life and existing ocean uses, such as fishing. The Record of Decision describes these measures, which BOEM will require as conditions of approval of the Atlantic Shores South Construction and Operations Plan.