Trump administration halts all offshore wind projects

Updated Jan. 6

The administration of President Donald Trump halted work on all large-scale offshore wind projects under construction, effectively torpedoing any progress in this sector of the renewable energy industry. It is the latest battle in Trump’s declaration of war on offshore wind, which began on his first day in office.

The suspension was issued Monday, Dec. 22, on two fully permitted projects visible off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard — Vineyard Wind 1, which is already largely up and running, and Revolution Wind, which is close to completion. Both projects are likely to be suspended for at least the next three months.

The pause, made effective immediately, is attributed to publicly undisclosed national security concerns identified in classified reports by the Department of Defense, which the administration now refers to as the Department of War. Trump’s suspension not only potentially forces stakeholders to continue to battle the federal government in court, but also further delays benefits promised to the Island, including jobs and funds for onshore energy projects.

Revolution Wind, 12 miles off of Aquinnah, and Vineyard Wind 1, 15 miles south of the Island, were both nearly completed, and the latter was already delivering power to the grid. But now, this halt places the array of turbines off the coast of Island at the center of what has become a titanic struggle, fought repeatedly in the courts, between supporters of renewable energy and the Trump administration, which has always opposed wind. 

The Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm, which survived most of the year unscathed by a bombardment of stop-work orders and the threat of permit reconsiderations seen by other projects by the federal government, is now in the line of fire. Meanwhile, Revolution Wind was here not too long ago; the 65-turbine project was forced to halt construction in late August, and was only allowed to resume a month later when a federal judge granted a stay and injunction on the order.

“The prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in the release Monday. “Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our East Coast population centers. The Trump administration will always prioritize the security of the American people.”

Burgum also posted on his X account, “Due to national security concerns identified by @DeptofWar, @Interior is PAUSING leases for 5 expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidized offshore wind farms! ONE natural gas pipeline supplies as much energy as these 5 projects COMBINED. @POTUS is bringing common sense back to energy policy & putting security FIRST!”

Gov. Maura Healey fired back on the announcement, establishing battle lines between the Trump administration and a liberal establishment that believes in the benefits of renewable energy for jobs, the environment, and lower electricity rates. 

“Energy costs are already too high. It makes absolutely no sense for the Trump Administration to halt construction on a project that is bringing more affordable energy to our region. This puts people out of work during the holidays,” said Healey in a statement. 

Healey added, “Vineyard Wind has been producing power for a year, bringing down costs for residents and businesses, while creating nearly 4,000 jobs right here in Massachusetts. Donald Trump should be embracing an all-of-the-above approach to American energy, not shutting down critical sources like wind. It is dangerous to halt construction in the middle of a project, and I will stand up against this unlawful action by the Trump Administration to protect Massachusetts’ ratepayers and workers. We are working closely with impacted states and developers to ensure the projects are completed and continue to provide affordable power to our communities.”

There was no timeline for the suspension specified by the federal government, but Ørsted, part owner of the Revolution Wind project, said they received orders from the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to suspend all activities on the outer continental shelf for 90 days, a timeline that Ørsted officials also said was subject to an extension. Vineyard Wind 1 officials didn’t respond for comment.

A press release from the Interior said that the pause will allow federal agencies to “work with leaseholders and state partners to assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects.”

Ørsted also owns Sunrise Wind, another wind farm south of the Vineyard and paused by the federal government. Empire Wind 1, a project off the coast of New York by the Norwegian energy company Equinor, was also included and, like Revolution Wind, was already issued a stop-work order this year, lifted a month later. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, by U.S.-based Dominion Energy off the coast of Virginia, was also suspended Dec. 22.

“Revolution Wind LLC and Sunrise Wind LLC are complying with the respective orders and are taking appropriate steps to suspend related activities in a manner that prevents impacts on health, safety, and the environment,” a press release from Ørsted said. “Ørsted is evaluating all options to resolve the matter expeditiously, together with its partners. This includes engagement with BOEM and other permitting agencies as well as the evaluation of potential legal proceedings.”

Ørsted officials also noted that both projects were set to deliver power in 2026. Revolution Wind was expected to generate power as soon as January to Rhode Island and Connecticut.

ISO–New England, a nonprofit corporation that manages the grid for the six New England states, said Vineyard Wind 1 and Revolution Wind are included in near-term and future models for electricity demand, and are especially important in the winter, when ocean winds are strongest and steadiest, and output from offshore wind is the highest. The nonprofit forecasts enough power for the current season, but added that “canceling or delaying these projects will increase costs and risks to reliability in our region.”

The national security concerns in the classified reports aren’t spelled out, but the press release references previous unclassified reports that say the movement of the turbine blades and reflective towers cause radar interference called “clutter,” which can obscure objects and create false ones within the wind projects.

Officials from Ørsted said that as part of a review of their two projects, they “consulted closely and directly with the U.S. Department of Defense Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse to evaluate and address potential impacts to national security and defense capabilities from construction and operation.”

They’ve also already fought a stop-work order that cited the “protection of national security interests.” This was previously used by the federal government to halt construction on Revolution Wind on Aug. 22, though the developer, who took the matter to court, said the claim lacked any evidentiary basis. An injunction was granted on that order by a federal judge a month later, and construction resumed.

Kate Sinding Daly, senior vice president for law and policy at the Conservation Law Foundation, said that the basis for these new pauses is “some newly uncovered national security concerns” that are in classified reports, and so the process to challenge them is much more complex. “It’s another sneaky tactic,” she said.

She also said that litigation is inevitable, and hopes that developers and states take the matter to court, as was successfully done before. It also remains unclear whether or not Vineyard Wind 1 can continue to send power to the grid, but Sinding Daly said that should the developers decide to go to court, that is what will need clarity.

Fred Khedouri, who is the owner of Martha Rose Fisheries and member of the zoning board of appeals and Land Bank commissioner in Chilmark, previously worked in the White House under Ronald Reagan as associate director for natural resources, energy, and science at the Office of Management and Budget and said national security is the hardest thing to challenge. He added that he has experienced radar interference out on the water. “And while it is scary and definitely a hazard to navigating through the wind farms in fog or at night, it’s hard to see how it would be much of a problem to military vessels or aircraft, which have very sophisticated radars,” he said. He added, however, that “phantom targets” could make it harder to find a vessel that is deemed a threat. 

The pause comes less than a week after a federal judge overturned a January decision by the Trump administration prohibiting the issuance of offshore wind approvals by federal agencies. The ruling, officially entered into the court Thursday, didn’t guarantee the authorization of new projects, but said the agencies have to go through the approval process. It affirmed the rights of states and developers, and potentially created a path for new wind projects to move forward. The judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit by the attorneys general from Massachusetts and several other states that challenged the current administration.

“This is a desperate rerun of the Trump administration’s failed attempt to kill offshore wind — an effort the courts have already rejected,” Sinding Daly said.

Petitions calling for the immediate suspension of all offshore wind projects in the Northeast pending a federal reassessment, also at the end of August, similarly cited concerns of “unprecedented national security risks.” The petitions, filed with eight federal agencies, were led by Green Oceans, which has a local arm based on Martha’s Vineyard, and included the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). 

The suspension of work on Vineyard Wind 1 also delays the promise of jobs and funds for the Island. Based on a community benefits agreement between the developer of Vineyard Wind 1 and Island nonprofit Vineyard Power, 100 percent of staff at the operations and maintenance facility on Beach Road in Tisbury are to be sourced from Martha’s Vineyard. This is a responsibility of the nonprofit to facilitate, but is required to occur only within five years of the commercial operation date of the project, as stated in an addendum to the agreement, which was estimated to be at the end of this year. Now, that date is up in the air.

Part of the agreement, which generally exchanges on-Island benefits for support of the project, is $7.5 million allocated to the Island over 15 years for energy resiliency and affordability. Though the Island initially received $500,000 from the RAP within 60 days of financial close of the Vineyard Wind project, which occurred on Sept. 15, 2021, more funds to the project won’t come until right after the project reaches commercial operation, which is now unknown.

This renewable energy sector also created an unlikely alliance between the Trump administration and the whales. Representatives of ACK for Whales, a group based in Nantucket that’s been involved in lawsuits against offshore wind projects, said they’re pleased with the announcement.

“Our organization has been primarily focused upon the harm these projects inflict upon our ocean and upon animals like the North Atlantic right whale,” Val Oliver, president of the group, said. “However, there are many other negative impacts from these projects as well. We have long cited the very real threat from radar interference caused by these enormous offshore wind turbines. Not only does this pose a danger to fishermen and others on the water, but this obviously also poses a massive national security threat. It is very satisfying that this threat is finally being recognized and acted upon.”

Editor’s note: Updated to include comments from Fred Khedouri.