UPDATED: Revolution Wind’s Future: Every Which Way the Wind Blows

UPDATE: September 1, 2025 – Labor Day Letter Sent to President Trump –

We asked people over the last few days why President Trump halted construction of the Revolution Wind project?  We heard mainly responses that attributed the action to the President not liking the aesthetics of the windmills, or thinking that they were a financial scam, or that they would only produce a small amount of the energy that they promised, and it was just a way for politician to give jobs to union members.

But the stated reason is none of those things. It was that the government needs reassurances that there is no security breach or alert with nefarious governments, specifically, the Chinese, well known for making the parts that go into the turbines – turbines that connect directly to our power grids. No question aesthetics, finances, and environmental concerns go up against energy needs, but security is a new concern.

The US Commerce Department recently launched a broader national security investigation into imported wind turbine components, focusing on the ability of “foreign persons to weaponize” them. This indicates a wider suspicion toward the wind industry’s supply chain, a review that came after the initial Revolution Wind approval.

The main security concerns appears to be technology and supply chain concerns, radar defense interference, navigation safety, and energy grid instability.

From the Executive Order:

“It is the worst form of energy, the most expensive form of energy, but windmills should not be allowed,†Trump said in July. Other RI officials have said that the project will lower energy costs and means jobs for thousands of people.

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What is happening at offshore wind farms in other locations

Company pulls out of approved offshore wind farm in Australia

Equinor has pulled the plug on a 2GW floating offshore wind farm it was developing off the coast of Australia, despite its local partner Oceanex Energy having remained keen to proceed with the pioneering project. Project company Novocastrian Offshore Wind announced today that it has “made the decision not to proceed with the feasibility license†offered by the Australian government for the site off New South Wales, as reported in ReCharge News

That came in the wake of Equinor being involved in a high-profile showdown with US President Donald Trump over his administration’s issuance of a stop work order for its fully permitted Empire Wind project off New York, which is in the midst of construction. The order was later lifted but the disruption appears to have made Equinor rethink its offshore wind plans elsewhere.

Equinor is withdrawing from renewables investment around the world at the moment, and cutting its renewables budget. Australia feels caught up in that and is disappointed, saying… “offshore wind is facing some global international investment headwinds right at the moment, partly driven by some uncertainty out of the United States.

Equinor has been scaling back its plans for investment in offshore wind in response to the problems of spiraling supply chain and capital costs that have lashed the industry. The company has altered its strategy to prioritize investments with higher returns and core markets.

In Scotland, demands for an immediate stop to offshore wind

Fishing leaders in Scotland have described wind farm expansion as a “stampede†and a “gamble†as they demanded an immediate stop to further offshore consents, saying achieving the target will cause irreversible damage to the marine environment and displace fishing fleets from grounds they have worked for generations. The government wants to meet its net zero target by 2030, and provide scores of green jobs as part of the transition away from dependency on oil and gas.

Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the SFF, Scotland’s biggest fishing industry body, said: “This isn’t a plan – it’s a stampede – the government is charging ahead without the faintest idea how to protect the people and places that will be trampled in the rush. We’ve been telling them for years these plans will seriously damage our industry, but they haven’t listened. Now their own assessments show the harm that will be done to fishing, and the environment on which it depends.” This, reported in Wind-Watch.

Also in Scotland – Scotland’s iconic puffins could face extinction after the Scottish Government granted permission for one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms to be built. The Berwick Bank development will see up to 307 turbines built in the outer Firth of Forth,

Blackmail Charges in Poland

Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a bill meant to ease rules for building onshore wind farms on Thursday, saying that a government decision to bundle it together with a freeze on energy prices amounted to “blackmailâ€. “The wind farm bill … is a form of blackmail by the parliamentary majority and the government, not only against the President of the Republic of Poland, but also against society,†said Nawrocki. Energy Minister Milosz Motyka responded to the veto, writing on X that Poland needed to unlock “the potential offered by cheap energy sources. … President Nawrocki’s veto of the law guaranteeing low energy prices is a blow to Polish families, industry, energy security, and the entire economy,†he wrote, also reported in Wind-Watch.

Sri Lanka weighs in bolstered by young and religious leaders

In Mannar Island, northern Sri Lanka, villagers have been staging a protest for nearly two weeks demanding a halt to the second phase of a 50 MW wind power project, arguing that it is an environmental disaster and poses an existential threat to their livelihoods.

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SAFETY CONCERNS

The Nantucket concern of just one blade continuing to toss up styrofoam pieces on the island’s beautiful southern beaches has grown into a deeper concern of PFAS and mico-plastics, with not only concern about people and swimmers, but small fish who may ingest these particles – and then be ingested by humans. The “blade liberation”, the phrase the industry uses to refer to turbine blades falling, flinging off, breaking or catching fire, cost the company millions in reparations to Nantucket, but now with more particles showing up on the beach and in the water. every blade had about 240 small aerodynamic add‑ons made of Teflon (PTFE), a type of PFAS. These accounted for just 0.00005% of each blade’s total weight.

The action on Friday against Revolution Wind suggests that a similar order could be on the table for nearby Vineyard Wind. Opponents of Vineyard Wind, including the Nantucket-based ACK For Whales, are hoping the Trump administration takes a similar tack on the offshore wind farm just east of Revolution Wind.

From The Nantucket Current: “We are pleased that the Trump administration is taking a careful look at the process by which projects like Vineyard Wind have been permitted,” said ACK For Whales’ board member Amy DiSibio. “The integrity of our environmental controls for offshore wind was badly compromised during the last administration. It’s high time for common sense to prevail and for laws and regulations to dictate what does and does not happen. We are hopeful that the ‘halt work’ order for Revolution Wind is an indication that more orders will ensue. Vineyard Wind has almost the exact same set of issues and if this administration is going to apply the executive orders, secretary’s orders and the law consistently, Vineyard Wind should be stopped as well.”

More on PFAS finding in Nantucket – recent news

PFAS in Nantucket waters & potential impact on fish is a fairly new concern, following a summer of chasing styrofoam shards on beaches and waters of the southern coast. PFAS are known to bioaccumulate and biomagnify—meaning concentrations can increase as you move up the food chain. Fish and shellfish often contain much higher PFAS levels than water (up to 5,000× for certain compounds). hough Nantucket-specific studies of fish tissue aren’t available yet, scientific understanding strongly suggests local fish could be accumulating PFAS—posing ecological and human health concerns. However, findings suggest the elevated PFAS in Nantucket waters are likely not from wind turbine construction or debris – finding out the cause is a key next step. Nantucket’s microplastic pollution predominantly comes from land-based sources on the island—like waste and household fibers—and marine transport. Broad environmental flows and legacy plastics, rather than any specific event, are the key drivers. This research may lead to broad implications for the fishing industry in the area.

Two other blade liberations have occurred that are in the news – one in Sweden and another in Finland.

Chemical content also a concern.  In one study’s conclusion, current assessments may rank offshore wind facilities as a “minor source†for chemicals compared to other input pathways into the marine environment (e.g. rivers). However, it is important to consider that while the global construction of OWFs at present is still reduced compared to other industrial facilities at sea (e.g. oil and gas), the foreseen future and fast expansion of this sector may change this dimension. Despite the above mentioned gaps, there is a growing awareness on the topic of chemical emissions from OWFs at policy and industry level, including increasing efforts in the implementation of avoidance and reduction measures and the development of national regulations. Next steps include increasing our understanding of the overall impact of OWFs, apply and/or expand already existing regulations on a larger scale also for OWFs and to establish a cost-effective and integrated monitoring that involves impact assessment of chemical emissions as for other factors such as noise, electromagnetic fields, new habitat introduction. Enhancement of regulatory and mitigation strategies requires the need for interdisciplinary collaboration among policymakers, engineers and environmental scientists. Ideally, this will lead to international agreed and harmonized guidelines, for example within the framework of regional sea conventions, and can benefit policy, industry as well as society in the construction of environmentally friendly OWFs.

Alien creatures – Norway’s concern

Offshore wind farms could help spread alien species that treat turbines like “stepping-stones†and hitchhike on vessels between countries, warns a new scientific report. The report, a literature review of scientific research on the topic, was published in June by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, an environmental research organisation. Alien species are organisms that spread into new areas where they are not naturally found due to human activities. This can have disastrous consequences. The report notes the “extensive†impact that alien species can have on ecosystems, including by “restructuring food webs and transmitting disease and genetic material.â€

Japan – Mitsubishi Contemplates Pullback

In Japan, Mitsubishi Corporation is reevaluating its involvement in three offshore wind projects situated in Chiba and Akita. The company attributes this to high turbine costs, inflation, supply chain strains, and elevated interest rates, and has recorded a significant impairment charge. 

UK wants mandated skills training 

A new iteration of the Fair Work Charter mandates offshore wind developers to contribute to or directly fund skills training programs in local communities where projects are located. This is aimed at ensuring economic benefits and workforce development are shared locally.

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High Security

It’s important to note that the parts of an offshore wind turbine are connected to the power grid – that’s how power is delivered.  Much like buying up farmland next to infrastructure facilities is what is happening in New Hampshire and other mid-west states, being bought up by Chinese companies, concerns have risen about nefarious intent.

As recently as April of 2023, the Pentagon raised concerns over offshore wind development farther to the south, along the coast Virginia as well as Maryland and North Carolina, too. But the Pentagon has not raised those kinds of high-level concerns over Revolution Wind — or any of the projects being built in New England’s waters.

Cleantechnia notes this: “…what new national security issue suddenly creeped out of the woodwork between between 2023 and 2025? Hmmm…well, lots of things. For one thing, In 2025 the US government began expressing an interest in annexing Greenland, which is a self-governing territory under the Kingdom of Denmark. That calls Ørsted into play, because Ørsted is a publicly listed state-owned enterprise with the Kingdom of Denmark controlling a 50.1% majority stake. 

Ørsted has said it uses some Chinese components/steel across projects but no Chinese turbines in its current pipeline. Magnets/rare earths: Many direct-drive offshore turbines use permanent-magnet generators that depend on rare earths (e.g., neodymium, dysprosium). China processes ~90% of rare earths and dominates magnet manufacturing, which is a well-known strategic dependency. SGRE has discussed moving some Chinese magnet production to Europe to de-risk.

The administration has opened a Section 232 national-security investigation into imports of wind turbines and components. There are no Mingyang (China) turbines on Revolution Wind; the project uses Siemens Gamesa machines with a largely EU/U.S. supply chain, plus some global sub-suppliers.

While years ago issues of security were considered, today’s foreign security issues are nothing like they once were. Are these real concerns, or a way to put a cog in a turning turbine?

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Fishing industry has hope

Fishing-industry advocates in RI publicly praised the stop, saying turbines harm their grounds. Local voices reflect a broader skepticism among fishers around the world who feel offshore wind installations pose direct risks to their operations. Courts and policymakers are now weighing not just environmental trade-offs but community livelihoods as well.

Lobster and crab populations have shown increased settlement near turbine bases, benefiting small-scale crustacean fisheries. In Denmark, Monitoring since early 2000s shows no large-scale collapse of fish populations.

Green Oceans, a Rhode Island–based group opposed to offshore wind, supported the halt of Revolution Wind. They publicly thanked BOEM and the Trump administration for “taking meaningful action to preserve the fragile ocean environment off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.â€

Seafood Harvesters of America (a regional fishing group) voiced deeper, long-standing concerns—highlighting broader anxiety about offshore development’s impact. They warned of cumulative environmental impacts from turbines, including:

• • Disruption of spawning areas, like cod near Block Island, leading to significantly reduced catches.

  • Acoustic disturbance from construction (e.g., seismic surveys), causing yield drops for species like scallops, crabs, and lobsters.

  • “Living things tend to move away from these projects… and we’re seeing it with the acoustic carpet bombing too.â€

Meghan Lapp from Seafreeze warned: “We cannot operate safely in a wind farm. So immediately millions of acres of the ocean become off limits to us. We can’t even safely transit through these projects because the turbines themselves cause marine radar interference.†Radar shadowing has been reported near dense arrays in the UK and German North Sea.

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Jobs Lost

Public materials show at least ~265+ Rhode Islanders on the project (at least 125+ ProvPort + ~100 onshore + ~40 site upgrades), plus additional RI mariners/technicians that aren’t individually counted in public docs. The traveling specialist cohort (heavy-lift/WTIV crews, OEM techs, helicopter crews) is substantial during offshore phases (e.g., vessels with accommodation for up to ~150 people and an SOV with ~60 technicians), but exact headcounts by residency are not disclosed. We have requested the information, but have not heard back as of publication.

In addition, CCRI’s Wind Turbine training program was funded with $1.5M from Ørsted/Eversource; a stalled project could jeopardize future cohorts.

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Lifespan

A modern wind turbine is designed to last for approximately 20 to 30 years with proper maintenance, though this can be extended through repair and technological advancements. While foundations and towers can last for the full duration, other critical components like the gearbox, generator, and blades may require replacement or repair during the turbine’s lifespan due to wear and tear from harsh operating conditions, including those in offshore environments.

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Decommissioning 

This week RFK Jr. said there is no required bond for Orsted to have paid in case the project needs to be taken down. Details show that there is a bond, but it does not have to be paid until 15 years after the completion of the project, but there is a good-faith “retainer” of the $325,440M.  If the government required the turbines to be taken down the company cannot just walk away, legally, but that could mean years of legal battles. In any case, the rules are within two years to remove the material – with a $56K a day fine for “delay by litigation”. However, if granted stay and with subsequent court fights, the process could stretch out.

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Wind’s Blowing

As we close, Orsted stock has fallen from a 52-week high of 22.4 to a 52-week low of 9.27 – an average 16% collapse with a loss of over $2B in equity value. Ørsted’s sharp stock drop has the company planning to proceed with a large rights issue to steady finances after the halt.

Ørsted says it’s considering legal action; a court could grant a TRO/preliminary injunction allowing work to restart pending the case.

BOEM/Interior could narrow or lift the stop after its review. ISO-New England is publicly warning that delay “increases risks to reliability,†adding pressure to restore work.

State leaders and unions are demanding the halt be reversed.

Grid planning assumed its 2026 in-service date; ISO-NE says delaying it endangers reliability.

Revolution Wind is paused. It will continue only if Ørsted wins quick legal relief or Interior/BOEM clears it after review. Until one of those happens, construction stays stopped.