Trump Administration suspended a wind project in Rhode Island over national security concerns

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Friday issued an order to stop any and all activities related to a wind energy project in Rhode Island, citing national security concerns. In a letter sent to the Danish company Ørsted, which operates the project, the agency said the suspension order sought to "to address concerns related to the protection of national security interests of the United States and prevention of interference with reasonable uses of the exclusive economic zone, the high seas, and the territorial seas," adding that "You may not resume activities until BOEM informs you that BOEM has completed its necessary review."

The order issued by BOEM is the most recent action taken by the President Trump's Administration to dismantle different wind and solar projects across the country following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, which limits incentives for renewable energy. The latter project, called Revolution Wind, had a $1.5 billion plan approved during the administration of former Democratic President Joe Biden. The company in charge of it has assured that the project is 80% complete and projects completion by 2026.

"Ørsted is investing in U.S. power generation, grid upgrades, port infrastructure and a supply chain that includes U.S. shipbuilding and manufacturing, with reach to more than 40 states. The Revolution Wind project is already employing hundreds of local unionized workers supporting both onshore and offshore construction activities. Ørsted's U.S. offshore wind projects total approximately 4 million union labor hours to date, 2 million of them on Revolution Wind. Ørsted is evaluating the potential financial implications of this development, considering a range of scenarios, including legal proceedings," the company commented in a communiqué, in response to the decision made by the Trump Administration.

The Danish company's Revolution Wind is the third project halted by the Trump Administration this year. In early August, the Interior Department reversed Biden's approval of the Lava Ridge wind project in Idaho, after suspending the Empire 1 Wind project in New York last April.