US Department of the Interior Pauses Five Offshore Wind Projects Over Security Concerns
The US Department of the Interior has paused five offshore wind lease projects that are under construction off the coasts of New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. This decision is aimed at reviewing national security risks and potential radar interference linked to these projects.
Officials have raised concerns that large-scale offshore wind farms could create radar clutter, which may obscure real targets or generate false ones. This interference could complicate airspace defense and might necessitate changes to radar thresholds, increasing the risk of missing actual threats.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has expressed opposition to wind energy’s role in the US grid, stating that wind farms have no future in the energy mix. Meanwhile, Dominion Energy, whose Virginia wind project includes two pilot turbines that have operated for five years without national security impacts, saw its shares fall by more than 3% following the pause. Orsted’s shares dropped about 12%, and Vestas’ shares fell approximately 2.6%.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont criticized the pause as erratic, warning that it could lead to higher electricity prices. He also noted that the project was nearing completion and supports jobs in the region.
The paused projects are located near major East Coast population centers. This action follows ongoing political and legal disputes over wind energy policy, including a December federal court ruling that invalidated a Trump-era bid to ban new wind projects and previous efforts to halt permits and leases.
