Previous government reports, including a 2024 report from the Energy Department and A report of 2025 The Government Accountability Office (an independent government watchdog) has drawn attention to this issue in the past.
As the DOE report says, “To date, no mitigation technology has been able to fully restore the technical performance of the affected radar.” However, there are technologies that can help, including software that works to remove the signatures of wind turbines. (Think of it as similar to noise-canceling headphones, but more complicated, according to one expert told techcrunch,
But according to the DOE report, the most comprehensive and helpful strategy is collaboration between developers and the government. By working together to strategically site and design wind farms, groups can ensure that projects do not interfere with government or military operations. The 2025 GAO report found that government officials, researchers, and offshore wind companies were collaborating effectively, and that any concerns could be raised and addressed in the permitting process.
These and other challenges threaten an industry that could be a huge boon for the grid. On the East Coast where these projects are located, and particularly in New England, high winter demand could lead to a shortage in fossil fuel supply and higher prices. It just so happens that offshore winds blow the strongest in the winter, so new projects, including the five involved in this fight, could be a big help at a time of greatest need for the grid.
one 2025 Study found that if 3.5 gigawatts worth of offshore wind were operational during the winter of 2024–2025, it would reduce energy prices by 11%. (This is the combined capacity of Revolution Wind and Vineyard Wind, two stalled projects, plus two future projects in the pipeline.) Ratepayers would have saved $400 million.
Before Donald Trump was elected, energy consultant BloombergNEF predicted that the US would build 39 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Today, this expectation has dropped to just 6 gigawatts. These legal battles could push it even lower.
The hardest thing for me is that some of the projects that were being challenged are almost complete. Revolution Wind developers have installed all the foundations and 58 of the 65 turbines, and say the project is more than 87% complete. Empire Wind’s work is more than 60% complete and plans to deliver power to the grid next year.
Hitting the pause button so close to the finish line is catastrophic not only for existing projects but also for future offshore wind efforts in the US. Even if these legal battles clear up and more developers can technically enter the queue, why would they want to do so? Billions of dollars are at stake, and if there’s one word to describe the current state of the offshore wind industry in the US, it’s “unpredictable.”
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