Gov. Phil Murphy's Renewable Energy Goals Receive Mixed Reviews Ahead of His Departure

As Governor Phil Murphy's time in office nears its end, his ambitious renewable energy goals are receiving mixed reviews. While he presided over a broad expansion of solar power in New Jersey, his plans for thousands of megawatts in offshore wind generation ultimately failed to create any new power. Critics argue that Murphy had no "plan B" to mitigate the failures of his offshore wind program.

Murphy's energy goals were always ambitious, with the governor calling for New Jersey to draw 100% of its energy from clean sources by 2035. However, most of those goals were never memorialized in law. The governor's focus on wind energy has been criticized, with some arguing that he "bet everything" on wind and lost. The state's Board of Public Utilities rescinded its contract with Atlantic Shores, a wind farm developer, after the company withdrew due to supply chain constraints and growing borrowing costs.

Despite the failures of the offshore wind program, Murphy's administration maintains that it did not focus too much on wind energy. However, critics argue that the governor's reliance on wind energy led to a lack of diversity in the state's energy mix, making it more vulnerable to price increases. An associate professor of political science at Seton Hall University, Matt Hale, notes that New Jersey may have been better served by pursuing natural gas conversions, like those seen in Pennsylvania and New York.

Overall generation in New Jersey increased under Murphy, despite declines in the energy that the state sends to the grid. The state added 3,159 megawatts in solar generation through state incentive programs, but most of that electricity remained off the grid. The lack of new grid generation did little to constrain growing capacity prices, which have become a focal point for Murphy's would-be successors. Critics have pointed to the closures of fossil fuel plants as a source of price increases.

Key Takeaways:

Governor Phil Murphy's renewable energy goals were always ambitious, but most of them were never memorialized in law.
The governor's focus on wind energy has been criticized, with some arguing that he "bet everything" on wind and lost.
The state's Board of Public Utilities rescinded its contract with Atlantic Shores, a wind farm developer, after the company withdrew due to supply chain constraints and growing borrowing costs.
New Jersey added 3,159 megawatts in solar generation through state incentive programs, but most of that electricity remained off the grid.
The lack of new grid generation did little to constrain growing capacity prices, which have become a focal point for Murphy's would-be successors.
Critics have pointed to the closures of fossil fuel plants as a source of price increases.
An associate professor of political science at Seton Hall University, Matt Hale, notes that New Jersey may have been better served by pursuing natural gas conversions, like those seen in Pennsylvania and New York.
The state's density, combined with a comparative dearth of open space and higher labor costs, make it more expensive to generate electricity in New Jersey compared to other states on the grid.

Statistics:

2,914 megawatts in grid generation were retired under Murphy through the end of August.
1,417 megawatts in grid generation were added since the start of Murphy's first term in 2018.
The grid saw a net loss of about 1,500 megawatts from New Jersey over the governor's time in office.
About 80% of the retired generation came from fossil plants.
760 megawatts of new power generation came from natural gas plants that went into operation early in Murphy's tenure.
3,159 megawatts of solar generation were added through state incentive programs under Murphy.
531 megawatts of that solar generation went to the grid.
The state's energy density, combined with a comparative dearth of open space and higher labor costs, make it more expensive to generate electricity in New Jersey compared to other states on the grid.

Sources:

(https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/02/15/governor-murphy-sets-new-state-targets-to-reduce-fossil-fuel-reliance/)
(https://newjerseymonitor.com/2025/08/20/nj-governor-hopefuls-attack-rising-electric-rates/)
(https://newjerseymonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/49091707652_033a2f3ee4_c.jpg)
(https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/11/01/gov-murphy-democrats-stick-with-offshore-wind-despite-end-of-major-windfarm-projects/)
(https://newjerseymonitor.com/briefs/wind-farm-developer-said-project-will-continue-despite-loss-of-major-investor/)
(https://newjerseymonitor.com/briefs/new-jersey-nixes-plans-for-fourth-wind-farm-award/)
(https://newjerseymonitor.com/2025/07/23/nj-utility-customers-may-face-bigger-bills-again-after-new-electricity-auction/)
(https://newjerseymonitor.com/2025/06/02/n-j-dem-senators-call-for-probe-of-grid-operator-as-electric-prices-surge/)