Trump’s War on Wind Puts SouthCoast Project in the Crosshairs

Sept 2 (Reuters) – The Trump administration will reconsider the permit for SouthCoast Wind, a Massachusetts offshore wind farm approved by the government of former U.S. President Joe Biden last year, according to a federal court filing seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday, attorneys for the Department of Justice said the Interior Department intended to reconsider the approval of SouthCoast Wind’s construction and operations plan.

The legal maneuver is the latest move by President Donald Trump’s administration to stymie development of offshore wind energy, which he says is ugly, expensive and unreliable.

The DOJ filed the motion in a lawsuit brought by the island town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, earlier this year challenging the agency’s approval of the project, which is planned for 20 miles (32.2 km) off its coastline. Last year, a turbine failure at an offshore wind farm caused debris to wash up on Nantucket beaches.

In the filing, the administration asked for more time to respond to Nantucket’s complaint because it was preparing to ask the court to send the decision back to the agency by no later than September 18.

Representatives for SouthCoast Wind were not immediately available for comment. In a September 1 filing, the company opposed the government’s motion for an extension.

“This delay and the forthcoming request for remand are simply pretexts for the unabashed desire of the President to eliminate all offshore wind projects from existence regardless of their impacts,” attorneys for SouthCoast Wind said in the filing.

The project is being developed by Ocean Winds, a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE. 

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Richard Chang)

SouthCoast Wind Project highlights:

• Received BOEM approval on January 17, 2025, becoming 11th offshore wind project to receive federal approval.
• Can generate up to 2,400 megawatts of renewable energy, powering over 840,000 New England homes
• Located approximately 26 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nautical miles south of Nantucket
• Covers about 127,388 acres
• Includes up to 141 wind turbine generators and 5 offshore substation platforms
• Features up to 8 offshore export cables with potential landfall in Brayton Point or Falmouth, Massachusetts

The filing against SouthCoast Wind comes amid President Trump’s broader war on wind following a January executive order ordering a review of federal projects.

Trump administration’s actions against offshore wind energy projects as of September 2025:

• A new inter-agency task force (Defense, Energy, Commerce, Interior) has been established to review Atlantic Coast wind farms approved under Biden
• The White House halted construction on Ørsted’s Revolution Wind project despite being 80% complete, citing “national security” concerns
• Equinor’s Empire Wind was paused earlier, resulting in a $763 million impairment
• A Maryland wind project faces cancellation despite having Biden-era approval
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy withdrew $679 million in funding from 12 offshore wind projects nationwide
• President Trump was quoted saying “We don’t allow windmills”

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