Plans for the 2.8-gigawatt (GW) Atlantic Shores South offshore wind project have been approved by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), clearing the way to power about 1 million homes.

Atlantic Shores South is being developed as two projects off New Jersey by Shell New Energies and EDF Renewables North America’s Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind joint venture.

“Atlantic Shores is thrilled to receive approval to build our first two projects and deliver sufficient clean power to serve one third of New Jersey households,” said Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind CEO Joris Veldhoven. “Securing these critical approvals enables New Jersey’s first offshore wind project to start construction next year and represents meaningful progress in New Jersey achieving 100% clean energy by 2035.”

The construction and operations plan includes up to 197 total locations for wind turbine generators, offshore substations, and a meteorological tower, with subsea transmission cables potentially making landfall in Atlantic City and Sea Girt, BOEM said in a news release.

The approval pushes the U.S. closer to its goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore wind energy capacity. So far, the Biden-Harris administration has approved more than 15 GW of clean energy from 10 offshore wind projects.

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