The Trump administration halted construction of five offshore windfarms, blaming national security fears.
Doug Burgum, the secretary of the interior, said suspending the leases of the wind farms off the East Coast would address “emerging national security risks” and the “rapid evolution of relevant adversary technologies”.
The department said the turbines can interfere with radar systems and potentially generate “false targets” and suspending the leases will enable the administration to work with developers and states to mitigate any security risks.
Mr Trump has made no secret of his dislike of wind farms.
At a rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania on Dec 9 he said: “Wind is the worst… That’s a scam. They ruin your valleys. They ruin your peaks. And [it’s] the most expensive energy.”
The US president has been imposing restrictions on renewable energy since he returned to office. The policies have led to numerous court battles, and a federal judge this month ruled his ban on projects was illegal.
By citing national security issues, the administration may be seeking a way to circumvent legal issues and continue pushing to hinder the development of turbines in US waters.
The department said the Pentagon had produced classified reports which found wind farms posed national security risks, while an energy report found they could interfere with radar systems.
“These towers are gargantuan,” Mr Burgum told Fox Business. “One can understand how they would create issues for radar.”
“The prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people”, Mr Burgum said in a statement.
He said the decision “addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our East Coast population centres.”
The projects impacted by the lease suspensions are Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, Coastal Virginia and Empire Wind 1, according to the statement. The leases had been awarded and the projects vetted by the Biden administration.
Shares of offshore wind companies slumped after the announcement. Orsted A/S, the Danish company that’s co-developing the Revolution project and operates 12 offshore wind farms in the UK, plunged by nearly 15 per cent. Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the Danish turbine maker, fell by 4 per cent.
Around half of Vineyard Wind 1’s 62 turbines are already operational and have been sending power to the electric grid. Once complete the wind farm, which is around 15 miles from Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, could generate enough energy for over 400,000 homes and businesses.
“The movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers create radar interference called ‘clutter,’” the agency said in the statement. “The clutter caused by offshore wind projects obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects.”