Landmark offshore wind farms come online in the US

Landmark offshore wind farms come online in the US

By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron

Two offshore wind farms targeted by the Trump administration are making progress toward bringing clean energy to the East Coast.

One installation, Revolution Wind, came online last week, marking a significant milestone for the US renewable energy industry. Meanwhile, Vineyard Wind, another wind energy project targeted by the Trump administration that is already generating power, installed its final blade, according to reports from New Bedford Light.

Revolution Wind, located off the coast of Rhode Island, will supply electricity to the Rhode Island-Connecticut region, a company developing the project announced in a recent press release.

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Revolution Wind is one of several offshore wind projects that have come under fire from the Trump administration in recent months: In December, Admiration announced a freeze on leases for Revolution Wind, Vineyard Wind and three other wind farm projects being built off the East Coast, citing national security concerns about the installations potentially interfering with radar. Before then, wind energy advocates expected that around 5.8 gigawatts of new offshore wind energy would be built between 2025 and 2029.

In particular, President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized wind energy, described wind turbines as “ugly” and claimed without evidence that offshore wind harms whales.

Now, after a legal battle, Revolution Wind is underway. When at full capacity, the farm will be able to power more than 350,000 homes and businesses and will save residents $500 million a year in energy costs, according to Danish offshore wind company Ørsted, which developed Revolution Wind with Germany-based Skyborn Renewables, an offshoot of Global Infrastructure Partners.

Vineyard Wind was reportedly 95 percent complete when the Trump administration forced it to halt operations in December. In January, a judge allowed construction to resume.

The three other targeted wind projects – located off the coasts of Virginia and New York – have also been allowed to resume construction, with one of those projects, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, expected to start generating power as early as this month, Canary Media reports.

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