Earlier authorities studies, together with one 2024 report from the Division of Vitality and a 2025 report from the Authorities Accountability Workplace (an unbiased authorities watchdog), have identified this challenge previously.
“So far, no mitigation know-how has been capable of absolutely restore the technical efficiency of impacted radars,” because the DOE report places it. Nevertheless, there are methods that may assist, together with software program that acts to take away the signatures of wind generators. (Consider this as just like how noise-canceling headphones work, however extra difficult, as one skilled instructed TechCrunch.)
However essentially the most widespread and useful tactic, in accordance with the DOE report, is collaboration between builders and the federal government. By working collectively to website and design wind farms strategically, the teams can be certain that the initiatives don’t intervene with authorities or navy operations. The 2025 GAO report discovered that authorities officers, researchers, and offshore wind firms had been collaborating successfully, and any considerations could possibly be raised and addressed within the allowing course of.
This and different challenges threaten an trade that could possibly be a serious boon for the grid. On the East Coast the place these initiatives are positioned, and in New England particularly, winter can convey tight provides of fossil fuels and spiking costs due to excessive demand. It simply so occurs that offshore winds blow strongest within the winter, so new initiatives, together with the 5 wrapped up on this battle, could possibly be a serious assist in the course of the grid’s biggest time of want.
One 2025 examine discovered that if 3.5 gigawatts’ value of offshore wind had been operational in the course of the 2024-2025 winter, it will have lowered vitality costs by 11%. (That’s the mixed capability of Revolution Wind and Winery Wind, two of the paused initiatives, plus two future initiatives within the pipeline.) Ratepayers would have saved $400 million.
Earlier than Donald Trump was elected, the vitality consultancy BloombergNEF projected that the US would construct 39 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035. As we speak, that expectation has dropped to simply 6 gigawatts. These authorized battles may push it decrease nonetheless.
What’s hardest to wrap my head round is that a few of the initiatives being challenged are almost completed. The builders of Revolution Wind have put in all of the foundations and 58 of 65 generators, they usually say the challenge is over 87% full. Empire Wind is over 60% accomplished and is slated to ship electrical energy to the grid subsequent yr.
To hit the pause button so near the end line is chilling, not only for present initiatives however for future offshore wind efforts within the US. Even when these authorized battles clear up and extra builders can technically enter the queue, why would they wish to? Billions of {dollars} are at stake, and if there’s one phrase to explain the present state of the offshore wind trade within the US, it’s “unpredictable.”
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