Total-Corio’s Attentive offshore wind gets one year reprieve in $37m New Jersey payment
Regulator grants stay over objections that its focus on stalled sector distracts from 'other ideas that can help reduce energy prices'
New Jersey utility regulators approved a year-long stay of $37.2m in fees for TotalEnergies-Corio’s Attentive Energy 2 offshore wind project until January 2026 given the sector’s struggles since President Donald Trump took office in January.
The fees include a $33.5m security deposit to project delivery for its 2031 scheduled commercial operations date (COD), as well as a $3.7m mandatory contribution to the state environmental monitoring programme.
In its motion to state regulators, the joint venture (JV) said it must delay payment due to “multiple unexpected external events that need to be addressed.”
These include “delays or uncertainty associated with common infrastructure” and those "associated with the anticipated federal permitting timeline”.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) granted the stay during its monthly meeting today over objections of commissioner Michael Bange, who said the regulator “has done everything it could to make offshore wind happen.”
He added: “Unfortunately, the current federal administration is not in favour and has done everything to stop it.”
New Jersey governor Phil Murphy has been among the industry’s staunchest allies, setting a target of 11GW by 2040 and driving hundreds of millions in public investment into port and supply chain infrastructure.
State sector struggles
The state sector is in shambles, however, despite having some 5.24GW under contract, with cost escalation and Trump interference key reasons.
While offshore wind power is bought by states under either power purchase agreements or offshore renewable energy credits (ORECs), virtually all projects are in federal waters, giving the executive branch ultimate control over development.
The loss of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air permit effectively reverses the project’s federal approval.
In 2023, the state lost 2.25GW of capacity as inflationary headwinds forced Orsted to pull the plug on its Ocean Wind 1 & 2 projects.
“Even if offshore wind was possible in the future, we would have to start the bid process over due to tariff war in place, uncertainty of future pricing, supply chain issues and investment monies to support it,” Bange said.
Instead, “We need to pivot and focus on storage, solar, energy efficiency and other ideas that can help reduce energy prices for all ratepayers,” he added.
Commissioners Zenon Christodoulou, however, said granting the stay “doesn't impede any other generation or interconnection in any way. It does not require any PBI or transmission upgrades at this point in time. It does not allow for a price increase."
NJBPU president Christine Guhl-Sadovy supported the motion while conceding the challenges the industry faces under Trump.
“I have limited amount of optimism, but I am hopeful that there will be an appreciation and understanding, just like this administration has in New Jersey, of the importance of offshore wind,” she said.
“We need large scale generation, and we have that in offshore wind development, not just in New Jersey, but in the entire Mid Atlantic and Northeast Region,” she added.
NJBPU approved the stay in a three-to-one majority decision, with Bange dissenting.