Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order setting the new goal, which is an increase of the current target of 7.5GW by 2035. Its new 11GW goal is higher than neighbour New York’s goal of 9GW by 2035.
Murphy also directed New Jersey’s board of public utilities to assess whether the goal can be increased further.
“Extreme weather events and severe flooding across the country leave no room for doubt – the effects of climate change are becoming more impactful and more aggressive, and we must do the same,” Murphy said.
“Our renewed and strengthened commitment to offshore wind development testifies to my administration’s understanding that, regardless of our impressive successes to date, there is always more that we can do to make New Jersey more sustainable while further advancing the state’s economic vitality.”
New Jersey has already held two offshore wind auctions, awarding power deals to more than 3.7GW of capacity, including projects being built by Ørsted and a joint venture of Shell and EDF Renewables.
It aims to auction a further 1.2GW in the first quarter of 2023.
New Jersey is likely to benefit from leases awarded in the record-breaking New York Bight tender in February, in which six sites were sold for nearly $4.4 billion.
The east coast state is also due to be home to the US’s first purpose-built offshore wind port in Salem county. Construction of the New Jersey Wind Port began in September 2021.
