Recognizing the tremendous potential for growth in its offshore wind power industry, the state of New Jersey is making a unique investment.

On Sept. 9, Governor Phil Murphy joined other state officials and stakeholders in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the New Jersey Wind Port, a project he described as a “first-in-the-nation infrastructure investment.”

Located on the eastern shore of the Delaware River in Lower Alloways Creek Township, approximately 7½ miles southwest of the city of Salem, the site is adjacent to PSEG’s Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station.

The New Jersey Wind Port will provide a location for essential staging, assembly and manufacturing, otherwise known as marshalling activities, related to offshore wind projects on the East Coast. In the long term it is also expected to expand into an offshore wind manufacturing hub, with up to 200 acres available for development. It has the potential to bring up to 1,500 new jobs and $500 million of economic activity to South Jersey and the state annually.

The project, which is expected to cost between $300 million and $400 million, is being funded by $200 million from the state’s 2022 budget, plus $13 million from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and $44 million in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Transportation for dredging.

The project will involve dredging a channel and constructing a wharf purpose-built to accommodate offshore wind installation vessels and barges. An approximately 30-acre area of property adjacent to the wharf will be developed for component storage and assembly. Construction is set to begin in late 2021 and is targeted to complete in late 2023.

According to the Wind Port, East Coast states are committing to installing more than 25 gigawatts of offshore wind generation capacity by 2035, as the region is set to be the epicenter of the next wave of growth in the industry.