The US Department of Interior (DOI) has paused leases for all offshore wind projects of large scale over national security risks identified by the Department of War (DOW).
This decision has impacted several leading offshore wind developers and sparked criticism from state officials, lawmakers, and industry groups, said Reuters.
The projects affected by the suspension include Ørsted’s Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind, Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ (CIP) Vineyard Wind 1, Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW), and Equinor’s Empire Wind 1.
The suspension is intended to provide the DOI, DOW and other agencies time to evaluate potential security risks and work with leaseholders and state partners on possible mitigation measures.
US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said: “The prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people. 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 centres. The Trump administration will always prioritise the security of the American people.”
According to unclassified US government reports, large-scale offshore wind projects can interfere with radar, creating “clutter” caused by spinning turbine blades and reflective towers.
This “clutter” may obscure legitimate moving targets and generate false targets near the wind projects, potentially affecting national security operations.
Ørsted stated that its Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind projects are adhering to the suspension orders and are taking steps to halt related activities in a manner that avoids health, safety, and environmental impacts.
The company added that it is exploring all avenues for a swift resolution, including discussions with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and other permitting agencies, along with evaluating the potential for legal proceedings.
Currently, Revolution Wind holds 20-year power purchase agreements (PPA) to supply 400MW to Rhode Island and 304MW to Connecticut.
Sunrise Wind also has a 25-year PPA to supply 924MW to New York.
Combined, the two projects are providing power for roughly one million homes in these three states.
Meanwhile Dominion Energy said that the CVOW project is critical for the US national security and to meeting increasing energy needs in Virginia.
The company added that a halt to the CVOW project could undermine grid reliability for critical military, AI, and civilian assets, spur energy cost increases, and jeopardise thousands of jobs.
