Trump pauses more offshore wind projects citing national security concerns

The directive comes arsenic the medication ramps up offshore lipid and state production.

The medication of United States President Donald Trump has suspended leases connected 5 large-scale offshore upwind projects implicit what it called nationalist information concerns, sending shares of offshore upwind companies plunging.

The suspension connected Monday of the Atlantic seashore projects, which were already nether construction, was the latest stroke for offshore upwind developers that person faced repeated disruptions nether Trump.

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The US president has said helium finds upwind turbines ugly, costly and inefficient, portion pursuing a larger pivot away from renewable energy.

Shares successful Danish vigor steadfast Orsted, which owns 2 of the affected projects, traded down much than 12 percent by precocious morning, with different companies similar Dominion and Equinor besides trading lower.

The US Department of the Interior said the Department of Defense had raised concerns that the question of immense turbine blades for offshore upwind projects, arsenic good arsenic the highly reflective towers that clasp them up, could origin radar interference that could marque it hard for the subject to place and find threats.

“The premier work of the United States authorities is to support the American people,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said successful a statement.

The intermission volition springiness applicable national agencies “time to enactment with leaseholders and authorities partners to measure the anticipation of mitigating the nationalist information risks posed by these projects,” the section said.

The intermission volition impact Orsted ‘s Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind projects, Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ Vineyard Wind 1 project, Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, and Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 project, according to the department.

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), a commercialized radical representing offshore upwind developers, urged the medication to extremity the intermission quickly.

“The regulatory process involves a rigorous model for assessing the nationalist information implications of projected projects, and each task nether operation has already undergone reappraisal by the Department of Defense with nary objections,” NOIA President Erik Milito said.

Orsted, Equinor and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners were not instantly disposable for comment.

Dominion said the suspension volition endanger grid reliability for its Virginia customers, including subject bases and information centres powering artificial intelligence.

“These electrons volition powerfulness the information centres that volition triumph the AI race, enactment our warfare fighters, and physique the atomic warships needed to support our maritime supremacy,” the institution said successful a statement.

Anti-wind stance

Monday’s determination was the latest lawsuit of the medication ordering a intermission to offshore upwind projects already nether construction.

In August, the medication ordered Orsted to halt the precocious operation connected the Revolution Wind task disconnected the Rhode Island coast, though a national justice aboriginal lifted the ban.

Earlier successful the year, the medication lifted a stop-work bid connected Equinor’s Empire Wind successful a compromise with New York authorities that paved the mode for a earthy state pipeline Trump supports.

Trump campaigned for the White House connected a committedness to extremity the offshore upwind industry, saying “windmills” are excessively costly and wounded whales and birds. He has alternatively promoted lipid and state drilling.

The uncertainty has taken a fiscal toll connected developers. Orsted raised $9.4bn earlier this twelvemonth to assistance money US projects aft imaginable partners were deterred by Trump’s approach.