"Wind doesn't work": Donald Trump orders halt to construction of huge wind farm

Another setback for the US wind sector. The US government ordered a halt to work on a massive offshore wind farm project off the northeast coast on Friday, even though it was 80% complete. This is the latest in a series of halts imposed on wind energy projects by the Donald Trump administration , which declared Thursday that "wind doesn't work."

The Revolution Wind project, whose construction began last year after receiving all necessary permits, is expected to power more than 350,000 homes in the state of Rhode Island, according to its builder, the Danish renewable energy company Orsted. Matthew Giacona, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), issued a letter Friday ordering the "halt of all ongoing activities" on the project to allow for a review. "In particular, BOEM is seeking to address concerns regarding the protection of U.S. national security interests," according to the letter, which did not provide further details. "You cannot resume operations until BOEM" completes its review, he added.

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Orsted said in a statement that the company was "evaluating all options to resolve the matter quickly," including the use of "possible legal proceedings." The wind farm is 80 percent complete, with 45 of the planned 65 turbines already installed, according to the company, which said it hopes to complete the project by the end of next year.

Shortly after returning to the White House for a second term in January, Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders halting wind power. Among the measures announced, he imposed a freeze on permits and federal loans for any offshore or onshore wind projects. "We're not going to do the wind thing," Trump said in January, claiming that turbines are "ugly," "blight the landscape," and "kill whales."

Orsted, a leading offshore wind power developer, announced Monday that it will raise 60 billion kroner ($9.4 billion) through a securities offering to address the fallout from U.S. decisions freezing wind farm projects . Empire Wind, another massive offshore wind project off the coast of New York, built by Norway's Equinor , was temporarily halted by the Trump administration in mid-April.