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Washington. A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the future of the green energy industry in America. Taking a tough decision, the Trump administration has suspended the federal lease of all major offshore wind projects under construction in the sea with immediate effect. The administration argues that these giant wind turbines installed in the ocean and their rotating blades could pose a serious threat to national security. However, no detailed or public information has been shared so far regarding the nature of these alleged threats, causing consternation in industry and political circles.
President Donald Trump has long been critical of offshore wind energy, and this latest decision is considered the most aggressive step in his energy policy. This order will have a direct impact on investments worth billions of dollars. Experts estimate that due to this, about 6 GW of power generation capacity could be disrupted, which was going to become part of the American grid in the coming years. This suspension will apply to five major projects going on in the Atlantic Ocean. The most important of these is the huge offshore wind farm in Virginia, which was to be completed by the year 2026. The project was not only going to be America’s largest wind farm, but was also critical to meeting the growing energy demand of the world’s largest data center cluster located in Virginia. Apart from this, other projects going on near the New England coast are also now hanging in the balance.
The US Home Ministry has cited confidential reports of the Defense Department behind this decision. The administration says the large blades of wind turbines and the light reflection they cause can interfere with radar systems. Officials claim that due to radar interference on the East Coast, the surveillance and security system of civilian areas is being affected. However, some sources in the Defense Department say that technical measures to reduce these threats were still being considered, but the administration chose the path of suspension before that.
The social and economic consequences of this decision are also expected to be serious. At the political level, senators from Virginia and other states have described it as being motivated by the President’s personal likes and dislikes. He argues that if the security concerns were so great, the administration should have provided the information in a transparent manner. At the same time, organizations associated with the offshore energy industry have warned that this step will not only lead to the loss of thousands of jobs, but will also make international investors lose confidence in the American energy market. The industry says they have been working closely with the Defense Department for the last decade and every project was started only after getting all the necessary security clearances. This sudden decision has posed a big challenge to America’s clean energy goals and economic stability.
