Trump administration pauses all offshore wind projects, citing national security risks

Offshore wind farms pose national security risks and will be halted while the government reviews ongoing projects, Trump administration officials announced Monday.

The move is a blow to green energy groups and the struggling offshore wind industry. It aligns with President Trump’s deep opposition to wind turbines, which he promised to block when he took office.

“Due to national security concerns identified by the Department of War, Interior is pausing leases for five expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidized offshore wind projects,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. “One natural gas pipeline supplies as much energy as these 5 projects combined. The president is bringing common sense back to energy policy and putting security first.”

Mr. Burgum cited classified reports that warned large turbine blades used to generate wind power can interfere with radar signals, creating phantom targets or making it difficult to detect moving objects.

The classified analysis follows a Government Accountability Office report issued earlier this year that cited several potential problems associated with the projects, among them the impact of highly reflective steel turbines on defense and radar systems.

“Wind turbines can reduce the performance of radar systems used for defense and maritime navigation and safety in several ways. These include reducing detection sensitivity, obscuring potential targets, and generating false targets,” the report said, citing an Energy Department analysis. “In addition, offshore wind energy development may affect larger military exercises by obstructing flight and surface and subsurface vessel movement, according to Department of Defense officials.”

The announcement will halt, at least temporarily, five ongoing projects: Vineyard Wind1, off the coast of Massachusetts; Revolution Wind, located off the shores of Rhode Island and Connecticut; CVOW, under construction off the coast of Virginia; and two New York offshore wind projects, Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind.

Aside from two small offshore wind projects in New England, no wind turbines have been erected along the Eastern Seaboard. But planning and construction has been underway for millions of acres of offshore wind farms from Maine to North Carolina that would provide 18,000 megawatts of power.

Offshore wind opponents celebrated the announcement after working for years to stop wind farms that they say will harm marine life and hurt the tourism and fishing industries.

Opponents say underwater surveys that involve blasting air guns into the ocean floor and other preparatory work for the installation of wind turbines are disturbing whale migration and feeding patterns, and causing the massive mammals to get injured or stranded on shore.

“This is an incredible Christmas gift for our thousands of supporters — hard-working fishermen, small business owners, and families who value reliable, affordable energy over climate virtue signaling,” said Empire Wind opponent Robin Shaffer, president of Protect our Coast New Jersey. “We are grateful to the president for this decision, which will allow states and public utilities to return to proven, low-cost electricity generation. Offshore wind was never the answer.”

Green energy groups have accused Mr. Trump of killing clean energy jobs and prioritizing the fossil fuel industry. The Biden administration sought to speed up approval of offshore wind projects in an effort to move the nation to net zero emissions.

The projects are expensive, however, and the costs would eventually be passed along to ratepayers.

Offshore wind, said Energy Secretary Chris Wright, is the most expensive form of energy “on the planet.”

The National Ocean Industries Associations, which represents offshore wind companies, issued a statement urging the Trump administration to lift the pause as quickly as possible. President Erik Milito said all of the ongoing wind projects have been reviewed by the Defense Department “with no objections.”

The U.S. must have a strong offshore wind energy industry to compete with China, which operates 129 offshore wind farms, he said.

“Offshore wind improves our national security by shifting economic, infrastructure, and geopolitical advantages to the U.S. through increased shipbuilding, enhancements to our ports, greater energy security to power surging electricity demand, more manufacturing and good-paying jobs, additional business for the oil and gas supply chain, and collaborative opportunities for our military,” Mr. Milito said.