Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday he'd like to see New Jersey powered by 100 percent clean energy by the middle of this century and announced a Danish off-shore wind company has plans to open an office in Atlantic City.

However, the cost to ratepayers to build the turbines and infrastructure to support them remains an unknown.

The office will support the firm's Ocean Wind project, a 250-square-mile patch of the Atlantic Ocean about 10 miles off Atlantic City's coast that would be the future site of wind turbines.

"This is going to be our all-in attempt to combat climate change," Murphy said at an International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum in Plainsboro.

"As a coastal state, this should be a matter of common sense," he said.

The Danish firm, Orsted, could bring 1,000 jobs a year over two to three years during construction, plus about 100 permanent jobs, Murphy said.

In January, Murphy said he wants 1.5 million New Jersey homes powered by offshore windmills by 2030.

He upped the goal to 100 percent clean energy by 2050, which suggests the new governor will continue to push for more turbines off the state's coast.

But the cost to utility customers remains a mystery.

A spokeswoman for the state's Board of Public Utilities, Kelley Heck, said "a strategic plan" that will "provide (cost) answers" is underway.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.