All posts tagged: offshore

US’s largest offshore wind farm can resume construction, in a third blow to Trump

US’s largest offshore wind farm can resume construction, in a third blow to Trump

Published by skeptic

Photo: Dominion Energy In a setback to Trump’s anti-offshore wind crusade, a federal judge today issued an order granting Dominion Energy’s request for a preliminary injunction allowing construction to resume on the US’s largest wind farm, the 2.6-gigawatt (GW) Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project. Judge Jamar Walker of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has cleared Dominion to restart construction on its $11.2 billion project while the company’s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s Interior Department moves forward. This marks the third offshore wind project to get a court-ordered green light to resume construction this week – joining Revolution Wind and Empire Wind – while Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts has now gone to court seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction. Dominion Energy was the first to sue the Trump administration after the US Department of the Interior ordered five offshore wind projects currently under construction to stop offshore work on December 22. Advertisement – scroll for more content The basis of the Trump administration’s claim was that offshore …

US offshore wind backlash grows as a fourth offshore wind project sues Trump admin [update]

US offshore wind backlash grows as a fourth offshore wind project sues Trump admin [update]

Published by skeptic

Photo: Ørsted A fourth offshore wind project is suing after the Trump administration abruptly ordered construction to stop on offshore wind projects that were already nearing completion, following today’s second ruling. January 15, 2026: US offshore wind continues to fight back against Trump’s attacks. Following a ruling by a federal judge in Washington, DC, today allowing New York’s Empire Wind to resume construction, now Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts has filed for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary Injunction, challenging the suspension order issued by the Department of the Interior on December 22. A 50-50 joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Vineyard Wind filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.  January 12, 2026: Judge Royce Lamberth of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled today that the US Department of the Interior’s suspension order of Revolution Wind was “arbitrary and capricious,” in violation of federal law, and that construction can resume. Advertisement – scroll for more content Lamberth stated that the Interior Department did not adequately explain how Revolution Wind …

Calabasas man pleads guilty to tax evasion and operating illegal offshore gambling business

Calabasas man pleads guilty to tax evasion and operating illegal offshore gambling business

Published by skeptic

Jason Noah Feinman of Calabasas in California, has pleaded guilty to operating an illegal offshore gambling business, evading taxes and laundering money in a statement released by the Office of Public Affairs at the US Department of Justice. Feinman operated a Costa Rica-based business in which its main focus was to run a website that was used by illegal gambling businesses to assist various gambling activities for customers who lived in California. The details were apparently leaked in the notorious Panama Papers. California Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion and Operating Illegal Offshore Gambling Businesshttps://t.co/TZYxzO6ZNh — Criminal Division (@DOJCrimDiv) January 14, 2026 They were encouraged to place bets across various websites that Feinman used and maintained, which is, of course, illegal in California under state and federal law. Feinman laundered the money by exchanging cash for checks, receiving more than $1.5 million in cash between 2018 and 2024. Furthermore, he failed to declare his income, concealing more than $4 million from the US Government, thus paying no tax on any of this. He will be …

UK offshore wind prices come in 40% cheaper than gas in record auction

UK offshore wind prices come in 40% cheaper than gas in record auction

Published by skeptic

Photo: Dogger Bank The UK just pulled off one of its most consequential offshore wind auctions yet – delivering massive volumes of new capacity at prices that undercut gas. In its latest offshore wind allocation round (AR7), the UK awarded a record 8.4 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity, making it the largest-ever offshore wind auction in Europe. That includes 8.2 GW of bottom‑fixed projects and just under 200 megawatts (MW) of floating wind, enough clean power to supply the equivalent of nearly 10 million homes. And it came in cheap. Thanks to intense competition, the average strike prices landed at £91.20 per megawatt-hour (MWh) in England and Wales and £89.49/MWh in Scotland. That’s well below the cost of building and running new fossil fuel or nuclear power in the UK. For context, new gas plants in the UK are estimated to cost approximately £147/MWh, while new nuclear power plants come in at around £124/MWh. In other words, offshore wind from this auction is roughly 40% cheaper than gas and almost 30% cheaper than nuclear. Advertisement …

UK secures record-breaking 8.4GW auction for offshore wind

UK secures record-breaking 8.4GW auction for offshore wind

Published by skeptic

The UK has successfully secured a record 8.4GW of offshore wind in Europe’s biggest auction to date. Britain has taken a monumental step towards ending the country’s reliance on volatile fossil fuels and lowering bills for good through this record-breaking offshore wind result. The results deliver the biggest single procurement of offshore wind energy in British and European history, signifying a major vote of confidence in the UK’s new era of energy sovereignty and abundance. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband stated: “With these results, Britain is taking back control of our energy sovereignty. Clean, homegrown power is the right choice for this country to bring down bills for good, and this auction will create thousands of jobs throughout Britain.” Powering 12 million homes with clean energy This auction round, known as Contracts for Difference AR7, will generate enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of 12 million homes. The groundbreaking result puts Britain firmly on track to achieve its clean power mission by 2030. These results show offshore wind is cheaper to build and operate than …

Wind power prices up in new offshore contracts as UK moves away from gas | Money News

Wind power prices up in new offshore contracts as UK moves away from gas | Money News

Published by skeptic

Britain is “firmly on track” to meet its clean power targets for 2030, according to the government following a record offshore wind auction. It has awarded contracts to supply 8.4 gigawatts (GW) of new offshore wind power – enough to power 12 million homes. The auction is part of efforts to ease the country away from volatile and polluting natural gas, but the strike price of £90.91 represents an increase of 11% on contracts agreed last year. The target of a clean power grid by 2030 requires at least 43GW of operational offshore wind but the price increase will stoke political debate over the rising costs of renewables and the economic impact of high energy prices. Money latest: The problem with supermarket honey Energy Secretary Ed Miliband welcomed the results and said they would help reduce the UK’s exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices, specifically gas, which triggered the energy bill shock following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “With these results, Britain is taking back control of our energy sovereignty”, he said. “This is a historic …

New York Attorney General Sues Trump Administration Over Offshore Wind Project Freeze

New York Attorney General Sues Trump Administration Over Offshore Wind Project Freeze

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s attorney general sued the Trump administration on Friday over its decision to halt two major offshore wind projects expected to power more than 1 million homes in the state. State Attorney General Letitia James said in legal challenges filed in federal court in Washington that the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Dec. 22 order suspending construction on the projects off Long Island, citing national security concerns, was arbitrary and unwarranted. The Democrat said Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind projects had already cleared more than a decade of security and safety reviews by federal, state and local authorities. She said pausing them now threatens New York’s economy and energy grid, and she asked the court to intervene. “New Yorkers deserve clean, reliable energy, good-paying jobs, and a government that follows the law,” James said in a statement. “This reckless decision puts workers, families, and our climate goals at risk.” Spokespersons for the Interior Department and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which are both named in the litigation, declined to …

New York Sues Trump Administration Over Pause on Two Offshore Wind Projects

New York Sues Trump Administration Over Pause on Two Offshore Wind Projects

Published by Sam Flores

By Nichola Groom and Nate Raymond Jan 9 (Reuters) – New York’s ‌attorney ​general sued the Trump administration ‌on Friday for suspending construction on two major offshore wind projects ​that the state says it needs to power 1 million homes and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. In ‍a pair of lawsuits, New ​York Attorney General Letitia James is asking a federal court in Washington to block U.S. President ​Donald Trump’s ⁠December 22 freeze on federal offshore leases held by Norway’s Equinor and Denmark’s Orsted. An Interior Department spokesperson said the agency would not comment on pending litigation. Interior has said it paused the projects due to complaints by the Pentagon that wind turbines cause radar interference that can ‌make it hard to identify security threats.    “New Yorkers deserve clean, reliable energy, good-paying jobs, and ​a ‌government that follows the law,” ‍James said ⁠in a statement. “These projects were carefully reviewed and already under construction when the federal government pulled the plug without explanation. This reckless decision puts workers, families, and our climate goals at …

What new legal challenges mean for the future of US offshore wind

What new legal challenges mean for the future of US offshore wind

Published by skeptic

Previous government reports, including one 2024 report from the Department of Energy and a 2025 report from the Government Accountability Office (an independent government watchdog), have pointed out this issue in the past. “To date, no mitigation technology has been able to fully restore the technical performance of impacted radars,” as the DOE report puts it. However, there are techniques that can help, including software that acts to remove the signatures of wind turbines. (Think of this as similar to how noise-canceling headphones work, but more complicated, as one expert told TechCrunch.) But the most widespread and helpful tactic, according to the DOE report, is collaboration between developers and the government. By working together to site and design wind farms strategically, the groups can ensure that the projects don’t interfere with government or military operations. The 2025 GAO report found that government officials, researchers, and offshore wind companies were collaborating effectively, and any concerns could be raised and addressed in the permitting process. This and other challenges threaten an industry that could be a major …

US offshore wind backlash grows as a fourth offshore wind project sues Trump admin [update]

US offshore wind backlash grows as Empire, Revolution Wind sue Trump admin

Published by skeptic

Photo: Ørsted Two more offshore wind developers are suing the Trump administration after it abruptly ordered construction to stop on offshore wind projects that were already nearing completion. On January 1, Revolution Wind filed a supplemental complaint in federal court in Washington, DC, challenging the Interior Department’s December 22 lease suspension order. Today, Equinor’s Empire Wind followed with its own lawsuit, also seeking a preliminary injunction that would allow construction to continue while the case plays out. The two lawsuits are helping to create a fast‑growing legal pileup over Interior’s decision to halt offshore construction on five US wind farms currently under construction: Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind; Vineyard Wind 1 in Massachusetts; Revolution Wind, which serves Rhode Island and Connecticut; and Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind in New York. Dominion was the first developer to sue, filing its complaint on December 23. Revolution Wind Revolution Wind is a 50/50 joint venture between Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables. The developers argue that the lease suspension violates federal law and poses a major, …