Citing classified reports, the Interior Department last month shut down construction of five offshore wind projects off the East Coast.
A Department of Defense classified assessment, completed in November, contained information about “the rapid evolution of relevant adversary technologies and the resulting direct impacts to national security from offshore wind projects,” according to copies of the similar letters sent to each project’s owner.
“These impacts are heightened by the projects’ sensitive location on the East Coast and the potential to cause serious, immediate, and irreparable harm to our great nation,” said the letters, which were sent by Matthew Giacona, acting director at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
All five of the projects that were halted were approved during the Biden administration in coordination with military officials. A review of their government agreements shows that the developers all agreed to a largely standardized set of conditions related to radar, including a commitment to pay at least $80,000 to assist military officials in adjusting radar systems in the vicinity of a wind farm.
