New federal regulations targeting offshore wind projects in federal waters have raised significant concerns, with 18 gigawatts of planned projects potentially facing delays. The threat level explicitly limits new leasing but doesn’t immediately stop approved projects under construction or those already underway. Instead, it will review existing leases, which could lead to terminations or amendments.
Preliminary estimates suggest that these developments could create “significant uncertainty” for the 18 gigawatt portfolio of planned offshore wind projects. BloombergNEF highlights that Trump’s regulatory actions have already impacted specific projects, including the Lava Ridge wind farm in Idaho, and notes that similar measures could target other approved offshore projects.
In addition to the recent bans, ClearView Energy Partners has raised concerns about potential legal challenges facing some approved projects. The research firm estimates that “we think the [attorney general] might also seek to target finalized offshore wind projects currently facing legal challenges.”
State of play: Joe Biden’s regulators have approved 11 large-scale offshore wind projects in federal waters, a number sufficient to power over six million homes. Three of these projects are currently under construction along the Atlantic coast, while two others are progressing with onshore work and one project has already been completed.
The bottom line: BloombergNEF warns that projects not yet finalized could face major delays, exacerbating challenges for developers who were already falling short of Biden’s goal of achieving 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity operating by 2030. This new wave of regulations is pushing the Biden administration’s ambitious climate goals further into the future than ever before.
Source: https://www.axios.com/2025/01/22/trump-wind-order-offshore-onshore