Trump administration deals another blow to offshore wind, plans to kill Delmarva project

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In another blow to the country’s nascent offshore wind industry, the Trump administration announced its plans to revoke the construction permits for a project off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula.

The move was announced in a federal court filing Friday in a case that had challenged the Biden administration’s approval of US Wind’s plans for two projects, which would provide Maryland ratepayers with 1,100 megawatts of renewable energy. Together, the two wind farms would produce enough electricity to power 718,000 homes once fully built.

Delaware also stands to gain from the project. The state signed an agreement in January with US Wind worth about $128 million, which includes lease payments, upgrades to the state’s grid, renewable energy credits and community benefits. The deal is in exchange for infrastructure needed to transport the energy onshore through Delaware waters and state park land.

US Wind remains optimistic despite federal opposition

“Our construction and operations plan approval is the subject of ongoing litigation, but we remain confident that the federal permits we secured after a multi-year and rigorous public review process are legally sound,” said Nancy Supko, vice president of external affairs for US Wind, in a statement.

The lawsuit filed to halt the project cited violations of several federal statutes including the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and the Administrative Procedures Act.

The motion filed by the U.S. Department of Justice came several days after an order by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to the Danish offshore wind company Ørsted to halt construction on its Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island.

President Donald Trump has long been opposed to offshore wind and issued an executive order in January that halts any new leasing of federal waters for new projects. In March, the Environmental Protection Agency pulled its air permits for Atlantic Shores, a 195-turbine project planned off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Delaware’s stake in wind project

While the contract for the offshore wind energy is with the state of Maryland, the project plans to plug into the grid at the Indian River Power plant, a former coal burning station, in Dagsboro, Sussex County, Delaware. Underground cables would connect the turbines beneath Delaware state waters and wetlands, including Indian River Bay and 3R’s Beach at Delaware Seashore State Park. The plan is not without opposition in Delaware however, where Sussex County Council denied a land use permit. State lawmakers subsequently overrode their objections.

Delaware Democrats said this project will help lower electricity bills at a time when the regional grid operator, PJM Interconnection, is struggling with getting new energy sources onto the grid as demand is increasing due to the growth of AI and data centers.

“We need to diversify our energy production, not simply because it’s good for the planet, but because it will directly lead to lower energy bills for Delawareans up and down our state,” said State Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, in a statement.

Jane Brady, an attorney for the Caesar Rodney Institute, a right-wing think tank that opposes offshore wind and is challenging Delaware’s permit approvals, applauded the move.

“It is good news that the federal government is looking at this project, which has not yet received final permits or started construction,” Brady said in a statement.