'Active dialogue' over Orsted project's fate says US energy secretary
Chris Wright says officials discussing stalled Revolution Wind as even former ally Elon Musk joins backlash against anti-renewables stance
Energy secretary Chris Wright said an “active dialogue” is underway in the US government over the fate of Orsted’s Revolution Wind offshore wind project.
“That’s a very active dialogue in the administration,” he told reporters at the event, the financial news agency reported.
Orsted and the two states to which the 704MW wind farm is supposed to supply power – Rhode Island and Connecticut – are suing the Trump government over the stop work order, which sent new shock waves through a US offshore wind industry reeling from policy attacks since the president took office in January.
One of the projects targeted by Trump, Equinor’s Empire Wind, did resume construction after its own stop work order, apparently as a result of a deal with New York to restart a stalled gas pipeline and some heavyweight diplomacy by Norway.
“The economic outlook for offshore wind in the US is not promising,” said the energy secretary.
Wright repeated claims that offshore wind has only grown when operating in a “government mandated, government financed” policy environment and directed barbs against European trailblazers Germany, Denmark and the UK.
“They all now compete for the most expensive electricity in the world,” he said.
Wright, a fossil fuel veteran who has questioned climate change and attacked renewables, has been the target of a backlash from across the US energy sector – even including former staunch Trump ally Elon Musk.
The Tesla CEO on Friday joined others reminding the Department of Energy of the existence of batteries when a DoE social media post branded renewables “worthless” during wind or sun-free periods.
“Um… hello,” said the Tesla boss, directing readers to a page on Tesla’s energy storage business.
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