The US government has temporarily suspended leasing activities for five offshore wind farms under construction on the east coast of the United States, citing national security concerns.
The Department of the Interior issued a statement on Monday (December 22), stating that the giant wind turbines offshore could potentially interfere with radar systems and may create “false targets”. The Interior Department stated that the temporary suspension of leasing would enable the government to collaborate with developers and states to mitigate potential security risks.
The statement mentioned, “The movement of the massive turbine blades and highly reflective tower structures generates a radar interference called ‘clutter’. The clutter generated by offshore wind projects can obscure legitimate moving targets and create false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects.”
President Trump has long been opposed to offshore wind power and signed an executive order on his first day in office to impose restrictions. These policies have led to multiple lawsuits, with a federal judge this month ruling the President’s ban on related projects illegal.
Bloomberg reported that by invoking national security concerns, the government may be attempting to bypass legal issues to halt further development of wind turbines in US waters.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated in an interview with Fox Business Channel, “These tower structures are very massive, it’s not hard to understand how they could pose problems for radar.”
Projects affected by the leasing suspension include Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, Coastal Virginia, and Empire Wind 1, as stated in the release.
Following the announcement, the stock prices of the affected offshore wind companies saw a sharp decline. Danish company Orsted A/S, involved in the Revolution project, saw a 3.2% drop in its stock price in Copenhagen. Danish turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems A/S saw a 0.9% decrease in its stock price.