LONG BEACH ISLAND — A long-delayed offshore wind proposal planned east of Long Beach Island has been officially abandoned, marking the latest setback for New Jersey’s renewable energy efforts.
Leading Light Wind informed the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities that it is withdrawing from the state’s offshore wind program, saying the project is no longer workable under the terms regulators established. The notice came in a letter from the project’s attorney, Colleen A. Foley, who wrote that the developer could not justify another extension after months of stalled progress.
Foley said the company has confronted a combination of rising costs, supply chain strains and evolving regulatory requirements — issues she noted have affected offshore wind proposals across the country.
“Economic pressures and regulatory uncertainty have made advancing new offshore wind projects extremely difficult,” she wrote, adding that the company struggled to secure essential equipment, including turbines.
The project had called for up to 100 turbines about 40 miles offshore, with the capacity to supply power to roughly one million homes. It had already exceeded its original timetable and required multiple delays before the developer decided to step away entirely.
Foley’s letter said the company no longer sees a path to move forward under its current offshore renewable energy certificate award but may revisit future opportunities. Still, New Jersey’s offshore wind landscape has thinned considerably: Atlantic Shores, Empire Wind 2, and both phases of Ocean Wind were all canceled within the last two years.
The industry’s challenges have been compounded by federal politics. On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he issued an executive order that halted offshore wind development. Soon after, New Jersey shelved its most recent solicitation round, pointing to federal direction.
The only remaining active offshore wind project in the state is Empire Wind, located about 19 miles off Long Branch. While that effort has also faced delays, it continues to advance under the current federal administration.
