Saving Seafood

SouthCoast Wind deal deadline pushed to end of March

January 22, 2025 — Gov. Dan McKee’s newly unveiled fiscal 2026 budget touts Rhode Island as a “key player” in the offshore wind sector, citing the state’s intent to buy 200 megawatts of wind-powered electricity from a wind farm planned off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.

But Rhode Island’s utility company hasn’t actually inked the deal with the SouthCoast Wind developers. In fact, the deadline to sign the contract has been pushed back again, with negotiations between Rhode Island Energy and the wind project developer now expected to wrap up by March 31, according to an updated timeline posted on the state’s offshore wind procurement website.

When Rhode Island Energy unveiled its tentative power purchase agreement with SouthCoast Wind developers in September, it pegged Dec. 31 as the deadline to seal the deal. Then, the deadline was moved to Jan. 15.

On Thursday, Jan. 16, Rhode Island Energy again announced a delay in the contract signing.

“The revised schedule aligns with the negotiations SouthCoast Wind is concurrently having with the Massachusetts electric distribution companies,” the company stated in a post on the wind procurement website.

Read the full article at the Rhode Island Current

Vineyard Wind suspension order lifted ahead of Trump term

January 22, 2025 — Just days before an offshore-wind-averse Trump Administration takes office, the lead safety regulator for offshore wind has lifted its suspension order on the Vineyard Wind project. Construction and power generation can now resume with new safety requirements, including the mandated removal of all blades manufactured in Gaspé, Quebec.

Under the revised construction and operations plan, approved Friday by the Biden Administration, Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova must remove blades from “a maximum of 22 wind turbine generators … that were installed prior” to the July blade failure — more than a third of all turbine locations.

“Effective Jan. 17, 2025, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) lifted the December 19, 2024, Suspension Order, based on revisions Vineyard Wind made to its construction and operations plan,” a BSEE spokesperson told The Light on Saturday.

The companies must complete a “study that evaluates the environmental harm and other damage from the blade failure,” the spokesperson continued.

The Light previously reported that the manufacturing defect from the failed blade in July was traced to the Quebec factory, where managers may have falsified quality testing data, leading to suspensions and layoffs. The blade failed due to “insufficient bonding” — an adhesive that holds the composite together.

“After reprocessing of the manufacturing data from the installed blades, additional blades with insufficient bonding were identified, leading to GE Vernova’s decision and BSEE’s direction to remove all installed blades manufactured at the Gaspé, Canada plant,” the new plan states.

Over the past few months, vessels have removed several installed blades from the site, and received shipments of blades from GE Vernova’s other manufacturing plant in Cherbourg, France. The plan, submitted in December but approved this week, notes much of the blade removal activity will happen in 2025.

Read the full article at The New Bedford Light

World’s largest offshore wind farm maker Orsted takes fresh $1.7 billion write-down in the U.S. as its Trump nightmare begins

January 21, 2025 — Danish offshore wind giant Orsted faced a fresh stock market hammering on Tuesday after the group announced a new billion-dollar impairment charge on the same day its foe Donald Trump ascended to the White House.

Shares plunged as much as 17% in early morning trading after the group disclosed an impairment of 12.1 billion Danish kroner ($1.69 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2024 as rising interest rates and falling wind farm valuations hit the company’s portfolio.

Orsted’s Sunrise Wind project, a 924-megawatt offshore wind farm in New York meant to power 600,000 homes, is expected to take longer than expected after the group took supply chain lessons from its previous Revolution Wind project installation in the U.S.

Mads Nipper, group president and CEO of Orsted, described the impairment and construction challenges as “very disappointing” but doubled down on his company’s commitment to the U.S.

“We remain committed to the US market in the long term with its potential for renewables to meet the growing electricity demand and create thousands of industrial jobs across the US,” said Nipper in a statement.

Read the full article at Fortune

Concerns swirl over impact of offshore wind farms on fishing industry

January 21, 2025 — With the growth of offshore wind farms there are many questions surrounding their impact. In the second of two stories about what researchers are finding, science correspondent Miles O’Brien takes us to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where local officials are trying to strike a balance between greener, renewable energy and a potential impact on the critical fishing industry in that region.

Read the full article at PBS

RODA’s Statement in Response to Executive Order on Temporary Withdrawal of Offshore Wind Leasing and Permitting

January 21, 2025 — The following was released by the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance:

Today, we extend gratitude to President Trump for his decision to temporarily withdraw all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from consideration for new or renewed wind energy leasing. This important move recognizes the vital role our communities, industries, and ecosystems play in the broader national interest. The decision is a much-needed pause that allows us to reassess the future of offshore wind development and its potential impacts on our coastal environments and local economies.

We are excited to collaborate with the new administration as they embark on the upcoming review of federal leasing and permitting practices for offshore wind projects. This is an opportunity to ensure that all voices—especially those of the fishing industry, local businesses, and environmental stakeholders—are heard as we move forward. RODA, and our members, stand willing and committed to work with government leaders as they undertake this critical review.

A particular cause for celebration today is the reprieve granted to regions that have yet to be subject to offshore wind leases. This gives these areas crucial time to engage in meaningful dialogue about the future of offshore wind and its compatibility with local priorities and concerns.

Additionally, we applaud the decision to halt the authorization of any further activities that could lead to navigational safety, transportation, national security, commercial and marine mammal protection interests until we fully understand the potential risks associated with offshore wind projects. Protecting marine life, particularly vulnerable species like whales, must remain a top priority as we explore renewable energy solutions.

RODA is committed to working collaboratively with the Trump Administration to ensure that any future offshore wind development is done in a manner that protects both the environment and the communities who call these coastal areas home.

Biden Administration approves SouthCoast Wind construction plan

January 21, 2025 — On the last business day of the Biden administration, a federal agency announced its approval of the construction and operations plan for SouthCoast Wind, a big offshore wind project that Massachusetts is counting on.

“We are proud to announce BOEM’s final approval of the SouthCoast Wind project, the nation’s eleventh commercial-scale offshore wind energy project, which will power more than 840,000 homes,” U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein said in a Friday statement.

“We are proud to announce BOEM’s final approval of the SouthCoast Wind project, the nation’s eleventh commercial-scale offshore wind energy project, which will power more than 840,000 homes,” U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein said in a Friday statement.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

MASSACHUSETTS: Dozens protest wind farms and impact on whales in New Bedford

January 21, 2025 — Dozens of protesters gathered in New Bedford Saturday, demanding an end to offshore wind projects immediately.

The protest came one day after final federal approval for the Southcoast Wind Project, 26 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.

Protesters said they were outraged over potential impacts on the environment, coastal neighborhoods, and the commercial fishing industry.

Read the full article at WJAR

Trump bars offshore wind leases in opening salvo against his energy nemesis

January 21, 2025 — President Donald Trump ordered a halt to new leases and permits for wind projects on his first day back at the White House.

The order stops short of freezing construction of offshore projects along the East Coast, as sought by wind opponents and feared by the industry’s supporters. But it does direct the Interior secretary to review existing wind permits.

The moves amounted to an extraordinary attack on America’s largest renewable energy industry, both on land and at sea.

Read the full article at E&E News

Feds lift Vineyard Wind suspension order; dozens of faulty blades to be removed

January 21, 2025 — Vineyard Wind’s suspension on installing the rest of its wind farm southwest of Nantucket was lifted by the federal government Friday.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement lifted the suspension after agreeing to an addendum of Vineyard Wind’s construction and operations plan Friday, originally submitted last month, “based on revisions Vineyard Wind made to its construction and operations plan,” a BSEE spokesperson said Sunday.

Read the full article at Mass Live

President Trump Orders Temporary Withdrawal of Offshore Areas from Wind Leasing

January 20, 2025 (Saving Seafood) — WASHINGTON — In an order signed in the Oval Office this evening, President Donald J. Trump issued a memorandum to the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Energy, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency directing the temporary withdrawal of all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from wind energy leasing and calling for a comprehensive review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices.

The memorandum, “Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects”, is effective tomorrow, January 21, 2025, and includes the following directives:

  1. Temporary Withdrawal of Areas
    All areas of the OCS are withdrawn from wind energy leasing under the authority of Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. This withdrawal applies to new or renewed wind energy leases and remains in effect until the memorandum is revoked. Existing leases are not immediately affected but will be reviewed for potential amendment or termination.
  2. Review of Federal Leasing and Permitting Practices
    Federal agencies are directed to halt the issuance of new or renewed approvals, permits, leases, loans, or rights-of-way for wind projects. A comprehensive review will be conducted to assess the environmental, economic, and legal impacts of wind energy projects, including effects on wildlife, electricity generation costs, and subsidies.
  3. Moratorium on Lava Ridge Wind Project Activities
    The Secretary of the Interior is instructed to impose a temporary moratorium on all activities related to the Lava Ridge Wind Project. The memorandum highlights alleged legal deficiencies in the Record of Decision issued by the Bureau of Land Management in December 2024 and calls for a new analysis of the project’s impacts.
  4. Assessment of Defunct Windmills
    Agencies are tasked with evaluating the environmental and economic effects of defunct or idle windmills and recommending measures for their removal.
  5. Litigation Considerations
    The Attorney General is authorized to notify courts of the memorandum and request stays or delays in litigation related to federal wind leasing and permitting, as necessary.

The memorandum will be published in the Federal Register.