Trump now aiming to kill huge Ocean Winds project, court docs reveal
US President Donald Trump’s assault on offshore wind farm projects in US waters is gathering pace, with series of actions against major projects
The Trump Administration now has an offshore wind project being developed by EDP Renewables-Engie joint venture Ocean Winds in its crosshairs, court documents reveal, as the President’s assault against the sector gathers pace.
The US Department of Interior (DoI) led by Doug Burgum revealed in a court document submitted on Friday that it “intends to reconsider” the construction and operations plan for the SouthCoast Wind Project.
Ocean Winds is developing SouthCoast off the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island in a lease area with the potential to generate over 2.4GW of power.
Last September, in the nation’s first three-state shared procurement round, Massachusetts awarded a 1GW Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to SouthCoast. Rhode Island took another 200MW, while Connecticut unexpectedly declined to procure any capacity.
The DoI submitted its filing in a lawsuit brought by the town and county of Nantucket seeking to challenge approvals for the SouthCoast project issued last year by the Biden Administration.
Nantucket brought its legal action in March, two months after Trump had returned to office and issued an executive order barring all new offshore wind leasing and placing existing projects under review. The DoI was granted a motion for an extension of time to respond to the complaint in May.
Now, the DoI says that a further deferral is needed because it intends to reconsider the construction and operations plan and “will therefore be moving for a voluntary remand of that agency action” by 18 September.
The outcome of that reconsideration “has the potential to affect the Plaintiff’s claims in this case,” DoI noted. “Litigating the propriety” of the current approval for the project in the interim “makes little sense.”
In a statement responding to the DoI filing, Nantucket Select Board member Brook Mohr said: “Nantucket supports renewable energy and recognizes that proper permitting and policy making for wind energy development rests in the hands of the federal government.”
“But the permitting for SouthCoast Wind failed to account for the significant harm the project will cause Nantucket, a federally designated National Historic Landmark. We welcome this opportunity for federal agencies to reevaluate their decision and correct course.”
Greg Werkheiser, attorney at Cultural Heritage Partners, legal counsel to Nantucket, added: “This case illustrates the law of unintended consequences. If agencies shortcut environmental safeguards to fast-track green energy projects, they create a dangerous precedent that allows fossil fuel developers to do the same. The result is more—not less—environmental harm. Our position is simple: we must move swiftly toward clean energy while still honoring the rule of law and protecting vulnerable communities.”
Ocean Winds, which is a joint venture between French utility Engie and Iberian power producer EDP Renewables, was contacted for comment.