NJ offshore wind developer nixes 2 major projects, hobbling Murphy's climate agenda

Danish wind giant Orsted is abandoning two major offshore projects in New Jersey, the company announced Tuesday, marking a major reversal to Gov. Phil Murphy’s climate agenda and further threatening the Mid-Atlantic’s role as a leader in U.S. offshore wind production.

The company said it would cease development of Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2, which taken together would have produced about 2,300 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power roughly 1 million homes.

“The current market situation with supply chain challenges, project delays, and rising interest rates has challenged our offshore projects in the US, and in particular our offshore project Ocean Wind 1,” company CEO Mads Nipper said in a statement Tuesday, as part of its quarterly earnings report. “Therefore, as part of our ongoing review of our US offshore wind portfolio, we’ve decided to cease the development of Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2.”

Murphy, who made wind the centerpiece of his climate policy during his first run for governor in 2017, chastised the company on the social media platform X, shortly after Orsted made its announcement.

Read the full story on Gothamist.com.