Another New Jersey Offshore Wind Farm Collapses

New Jersey’s offshore wind industry has been hit with yet another setback.

Leading Light Wind, a major project once expected to power one million homes, has officially withdrawn from consideration, according to a letter sent to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

The project had already been delayed twice and was awaiting approval for a third extension. Instead, attorney Colleen A. Foley informed the BPU that the company cannot move forward under the terms previously established. The withdrawal ends months of uncertainty surrounding the struggling proposal.

In the letter, Foley detailed the mounting problems facing Leading Light Wind, noting that the company has battled challenges across nearly every stage of development.

She told regulators that the offshore wind industry has been squeezed by difficult economic conditions, shifting regulatory requirements and widening supply chain disruptions.

Foley wrote that the company has been unable to overcome critical issues involving equipment availability and vendor commitments.

The project would have stood roughly forty miles off Long Beach Island with a plan to install up to one hundred turbines.

Even before the withdrawal, Leading Light Wind had run into significant obstacles, including difficulty securing a turbine blade manufacturer.

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The company stated that it does not see a path forward under its current offshore renewable energy credit award and will instead look toward potential future solicitations.

However, the likelihood of a revival appears slim. New Jersey has witnessed a rapid collapse of offshore wind proposals over the past two years, with Atlantic Shores, Empire Wind 2 and Ocean Wind 1 and 2 all canceling their plans.

This wave of cancellations has unfolded alongside a dramatic shift in federal policy. On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he signed dozens of executive orders, including one that halted offshore wind development nationwide.

Soon after, New Jersey canceled its most recent offshore wind solicitation and directly cited the administration’s actions as the reason.

At present, only one offshore wind project is still moving through the development pipeline in New Jersey. Empire Wind, located about nineteen miles off Long Branch, is continuing to advance, though it has also faced its own delays and financial challenges.

It remains the lone survivor in what was once expected to be a multibillion dollar offshore wind buildout along the state’s coastline.

With Leading Light Wind’s withdrawal, New Jersey’s ambitions for a large scale offshore wind industry face another major setback.

Whether future solicitations can revive the sector will depend on regulatory stability, supply chain recovery and the direction of federal energy policy.