Interior Department kills four more offshore wind projects in $765 million deal

The Trump administration is spending nearly $800 million to cancel offshore leases for four wind farms along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, repaying the project developer in exchange for investments in fossil fuels.

Interior Department kills four more offshore wind projects in $765 million deal

TL;DR

  • The Trump administration is spending $765 million to cancel four offshore wind leases.
  • The funds will be redirected to investments in fossil fuels, including natural gas plants and geothermal projects.
  • This is the third such agreement this year, with over $1.8 billion paid to wind developers to abandon projects.
  • Interior Secretary Doug Burgum cited false assumptions about subsidies and national security concerns as reasons for the cancellations.
  • Invenergy, the developer in the latest deal, has not committed to avoiding future offshore wind investments.
  • At least seven states have sued the administration over similar payments, calling them illegal payoffs.