The U.S. government announced on Monday the suspension of the Virginia offshore wind project—the largest offshore wind project in the country—while also shelving four other offshore wind projects under construction on the East Coast, a move that has dealt a heavy blow to the U.S. wind power industry.
On Monday, wind power stocks in Europe and the US declined under pressure, with Dominion Energy... Both stocks fell by more than 5%, with Danish renewable energy giant Ørsted plunging 12.7% in late trading and Vestas Wind Systems falling 2.7%.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that the Department of Defense believes these projects pose national security risks, and therefore the government has decided to suspend their contracts. "An investigation revealed that the wind turbines... " The blades and highly reflective towers of offshore wind turbines pose a risk of interfering with radar signals. Signal interference from offshore wind power projects can obscure legitimate moving targets and create false targets in the surrounding area.
"This suspension will give the federal government time to work with leaseholders and state governments to assess whether the national security risks posed by these projects can be mitigated," the Department of the Interior said in a statement.
According to data from Dominion Energy , the developer of the Virginia project, the Virginia offshore wind power project is planned to have 176 wind turbines, which will be able to power more than 600,000 homes after they are put into operation. It was originally scheduled to be completed next year.
In a statement, the company said the massive project is critical to U.S. national security and Virginia’s surging energy demand. Northern Virginia is home to the world’s largest data center. Hub, Artificial Intelligence Industry demand is driving up electricity prices in the state. “Regardless of how long the suspension of the Virginia offshore wind project lasts, it will threaten the grid reliability of some critical U.S. military, artificial intelligence , and civilian facilities,” Dominion Energy stated. “This move will also trigger energy inflation and jeopardize thousands of jobs.”
From the very first day of his presidency, President Trump has targeted the U.S. wind power industry. On January 20th of this year, he ordered a suspension of all lease and permit approvals for new onshore and offshore wind power projects, pending a full federal review.
New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader, accused Trump of "irrationality" in his series of actions regarding wind power projects, stating that the Department of the Interior's decision would lead to soaring electricity bills. "Trump's insistence on killing offshore wind projects is completely out of control, irrational, and without any justification. At a time when energy costs are already high, this latest decision by the Department of the Interior is a step backward and will inevitably further increase people's energy bills."
The Trump administration's crackdown on the wind power industry has suffered a setback in court. On December 8, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that Trump's order to suspend approvals for wind power projects "violated the law."
(Article source: CBN)
