politics
Defense Department Halts Approvals for 165 Onshore Wind Projects
The Trump administration has stalled approval processes for 165 onshore wind projects in the U.S., citing national security issues. The Defense Department has frozen negotiations and approvals, affecting 30 gigawatts of capacity. This move expands efforts to restrict the wind energy industry.
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Financial TimesAudio version
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U.S. onshore wind projects citing national security concerns. The Defense Department stalled approval processes for these 165 onshore wind projects. The decision aligns with broader Defense Department reviews of renewable projects to address potential national security implications.
The 165 stalled onshore wind projects represent 30 gigawatts of capacity. This capacity from the stalled projects is enough to power 15 million homes. The administration invoked national security concerns as the basis for pausing these wind farm developments.
Among the affected projects, 35 onshore wind projects completed negotiations and are waiting for Defense Department sign-off. Another 30 onshore wind projects received verbal approval but cannot get it in writing from the Defense Department. Additionally, 50 onshore wind projects are mid-negotiation with the Defense Department with no path forward.
A further 50 onshore wind projects were previously flagged as low-risk and still got stalled by the Defense Department. These stalls have frozen the approval processes that developers depend on to break ground. The scale of the freeze includes projects at various stages, leaving significant renewable energy capacity in limbo.
