State and Congressional leaders had few answers about a recent order from the Trump administration that resulted in the shutdown of the Revolution Wind project at an August 25 press conference. Located in federal waters 15 miles south of Rhode Island’s coast, components of the wind turbines for the project are being staged at New London’s state pier, and the decision has implications for both states and the wider New England region.
The 700 megawatt offshore wind project, which Ørsted has said is 80 percent complete, is supposed to go online in 2026 and is anticipated to provide 2.5 percent of New England’s energy needs, the equivalent of power for roughly 350,000 homes.
In what Gov. Ned Lamont described as a shock decision, construction was stopped on August 22 by a letter the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) within the U.S. Department of the Interior sent to Ørsted. The letter said BOEM was ordering the company to “halt all ongoing activities” on the project to allow the bureau to address “concerns that have arisen” from a memorandum President Donald Trump issued in January. The memorandum ordered a temporary withdrawal and review of permitting and leasing of wind projects on the outer continental shelf, which is where turbines that are part of the Revolution Wind project sit.
According to the letter, BOEM is seeking “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.” It further forbade Ørsted from resuming any activity on the project until BOEM has completed its review.
But according to Lamont, his understanding from conversations with officials in the Trump administration was that the memorandum wouldn’t apply to projects that were already in process, like Revolution Wind.
At an August 25 press conference, Lamont, members of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation, and other officials with knowledge of the project expressed anger at the administration’s decision and spoke to the project’s thorough vetting.
“Revolution Wind is fully permitted, having secured all required federal and state permits, including its Construction and Operations Plan approval letter on 17 November 2023, following reviews that began more than nine years ago. Revolution Wind has 20-year power purchase agreements to deliver 400 MW of electricity to Rhode Island and 304 MW to Connecticut, enough to power over 350,000 homes across both states to meet their growing energy demand.” Ørsted wrote in a press release following the shutdown decision.
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection commissioner Katie Dykes said her agency has a “variety of concerns” as they “seek to better understand what precipitated this and what’s next.” She noted that the permitting process for the project began nine years ago and said it has been “very thoroughly vetted” across two presidential administrations.
Dykes also emphasized the importance of the project to regional grid reliability and keeping energy prices down.
She said New England currently faces an elevated risk of outages, and if the development of offshore wind is interrupted, there’s an elevated risk of rolling blackouts. She added that if the project isn’t completed on time, it could drive an increase in supply charges on utility bills.
Further, Dyke addressed claims that offshore wind is a more expensive form of energy, saying that “less mature” projects have presented pricing “challenges,” but that the contracts for Revolution Wind were signed in 2018 and 2019 and are in a relatively more competitive position.
Connecticut’s Congressional delegation said the continuation of the project is important for national security.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, who called the project’s cancellation blatantly illegal and said Trump had done so out of “vengeance and vanity,” said the rise in energy prices that could occur if it is cancelled makes it a matter of national security.
“If you want to talk about national security, talk about energy independence.” Blumenthal added.
Blumenthal referenced a report written by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that supposedly raises concerns with the project and influenced the shutdown order. That report has not been made public, nor does the BOEM’s letter to Ørsted reference it. Blumenthal called for the report to be made public or discussed with project stakeholders.
Lamont said that the state will get the project “over the finish line” and is having conversations with officials in Washington, but refused to answer questions about who he is talking to, calling them “preliminary conversations.” He did say he thought some “key facets” in the Trump administration were surprised by the decision.
The governor also said that, if the state is not able to reverse the decision, then it had attorney general William Tong; Blumenthal, a former assistant attorney general; Avangrid; and “others” ready to take legal steps. But Lamont said the state is not there yet.
The work stoppage, according to Lamont, is adding millions of dollars to the total cost of the project, per week and possibly per day.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has also made similar statements about the anticipated impact of the project on his state, and of the consequences of the shutdown.
“At a time when we should be moving forward with solutions for energy, jobs, and affordability, this administration is choosing delay and disruption. We are working with our partners in Connecticut to pursue every avenue to reverse this decision. Revolution Wind is key to Rhode Island’s economic development, energy security, and long-term affordability for our residents.” McKee said in a joint press release with Lamont after the stoppage was announced.
The project has faced stronger opposition from some groups in Rhode Island, particularly from fishermen, due to its location near a cod fishery. In September 2023, all nine members of the state’s Fishermen’s Advisory Board resigned en masse over their belief that the Coastal Resource Management Council had ignored concerns about impacts to the fishery and the environment because of its commitment to developing offshore wind.
Senate Republicans, including Sens. Henri Martin; Heather Somers; and Ryan Fazio; reacted to Lamont’s press conference by criticizing Connecticut’s high energy costs, for which they blamed Democrats.
“Democrats have passed hundreds of millions of dollars in new public benefits charges that have inflated those bills, while rejecting Republican proposals to eliminate the charges.” they said via a written statement. “If Revolution Wind comes online, it will cause public benefits charges to rise even more.”
If Revolution Wind goes online, it will operate under a power purchase agreement, which requires utility companies to purchase a certain energy from it at a predetermined price. The power purchase agreement for Revolution Wind is much higher than for the Millstone nuclear power plant, which also operates under a power purchase agreement. According to a 2023 report from Eversource, residents will pay between $98.43 and $99.50 per megawatt hour for electricity generated by Revolution Wind. Under the power purchase agreement for Millstone, which state officials have blamed for the spike in the public benefits charge, ratepayers pay $49.99 per megawatt hour. Though Revolution Wind will supply less power than Millstone does, it could still drive up public benefits charges.
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Trump’s Hotels and Golf Courses on bird migration swamp land were okay! Coming from a Republican!
Every person quoted in this story have opposed every other project to get energy into New England. If they truly are now seeing the light, not just being political, that would be refreshing. Coming from an independent, formerly a Democrat!
This shouldn’t be a politically motivated issue, but unfortunately it is. And for all the wrong reasons. More victimization of the Left. We had a deal, sob, sob, Orange man bad. The fact is these turbines would produce 700 megawatts but a small nuclear reactor would be 100 times more efficient (and far less disruptive to man, mammals, fish and birds). Regardless of one’s political beliefs about the climate (crisis/hoax), wind is not the answer. 2.5 percent of energy in two TINY states is a joke. Stop the finger pointing – this was a terrible decision that never should have been allowed 9 years ago and now it’s being addressed. Lamont and Blumenthal are blinded with rage for the wrong reasons. They should accept the decision, acknowledge they went in the wrong direction and work across the aisle towards a solution that is safe and proven. We need more power, especially as AI grows. It’s time to think big or go home.