Staff members work at the booth of Royal Dutch Shell at Gastech, the world's biggest expo for the gas industry, in Chiba, Japan, April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

(Reuters) - EDF Renewables North America said on Wednesday it had formed a joint venture with oil and gas firm Royal Dutch Shell plc's RDSa.AS new energies division to co-develop a lease area for offshore wind energy in New Jersey.

The area, spread over 183,353 acres and located off the coast of Atlantic City, has the potential to produce about 2,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy, EDF said in a statement.

The Trump administration is streamlining permits for offshore wind industry and carving out new areas for leasing to boost domestic energy production and jobs.

States like New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York have also mandated utilities to procure offshore wind energy.