New Jersey’s offshore wind sector looks to take a key role in the East Coast turbine industry despite the closure of the state’s two most advanced projects.

With data centers, electric vehicles and population growth, electricity demand in New Jersey could soar to 15,000 GWh in the coming years, state officials said at a public hearing on a new plan for connecting offshore wind projects to the grid.

The BPU approval gives offshore wind developer Invenergy time to find an economically viable turbine before committing more resources to the project.

New Jersey is adding to its efforts to cut medium- and heavy-duty vehicle emissions with plans to spend more than $300 million on two electric bus garages and to increase the use of clean cargo handling equipment at ports.

New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities awarded $3.4 million in grants to 18 proposals under a new program designed to help municipalities implement clean energy projects.

New Jersey last year put an additional 62,426 new EVs on the road, a 68% increase over 2022, which has prompted some advocates to suggest the state is in reach of its goal of having 330,000 EVs in the state by 2025.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated and remanded an order by FERC approving a natural gas pipeline in New Jersey that state regulators said was unneeded.

DOE awarded $371 million to state regulatory agencies to accelerate transmission permitting and to communities impacted by major interstate projects.

The debate over the plant underscores the difficulties of New Jersey’s efforts to aggressively cut emissions while ensuring the state has access to enough electricity.