An offshore wind project targeted by the Trump administration has begun sending power to New England’s electric grid, the developer said Friday.
The Danish company Orsted said that Revolution Wind is now generating power and will expand in the coming weeks until it is fully operational. Orsted is building Revolution Wind with Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables to provide electricity to Rhode Island and Connecticut, enough to power more than 350,000 homes and businesses.
Revolution Wind was one of five major East Coast offshore wind projects of the Trump administration Construction stopped in the days before Christmasciting national security concerns. Developers and states suedand allowed federal judges All five to resume constructionessentially concluding that the government had not shown that the national security risk was so imminent that construction should be halted.
Biden administration He sought to intensify offshore winds As a solution to climate change.
But President Donald Trump, who… He often talks about his hatred of wind energyHe said his goal was not to allow any “windmills” to be built. A. has signed A wave of executive orders Aimed at promoting oil and gas And coal.
Trump “reversed course on Joe Biden’s costly green energy agenda that gave preferential treatment to intermittent and unreliable energy sources, and instead aggressively unleashes reliable, affordable energy sources to lower energy bills, improve the stability of our grid and protect our national security,” White House spokesman Taylor Rogers said Friday night. Rogers added in a statement to the Associated Press that the administration “looks forward to final victory in this case.”
At a time of increasing demand for energy, Revolution Wind will provide price certainty and stability, Ørsted said, citing a Preliminary analysis by the state of Connecticut It is estimated that it will reduce wholesale energy costs by about $500 million annually by 2028.
“Revolution Wind adds affordable and reliable American-made power to New England’s grid, helping to meet growing energy demand and lower consumer costs,” Amanda Dash, Orsted’s chief development officer, said in a statement.
Chris Kearns, acting commissioner of the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, called the first energy milestone “an important moment for the state’s clean energy landscape.”
Ørsted began construction in 2024 about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of the Rhode Island coast. The wind farm includes 65 Siemens Gamesa turbines with a capacity of 11 MW and employs more than 1,000 people.
Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat, said that because this wind energy travels directly off the coast of New England, “its price will not be at the mercy of uncertain global energy markets.” Iran war is Disrupting the global energy supplyThe global economy and international travel.
Courtney also said Friday’s event “would never have happened without the talented construction workers in Connecticut, who persevered through the Trump administration’s unlawful stop-work orders.”
The December order marked the second time the administration halted construction work at Revolution Wind. It was previously work Paused on August 22 regarding national security concerns. A month later, a federal judge ruled that the project could be resumed.
___
AP’s climate and environment coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Search for access points Standards To work with charities, list of supporters and funded coverage areas on AP.org.