By Peggy Schultz
Originally Printed in 2025 DE Sierra Magazine (Truncated Version)
How are we doing with offshore wind?
First, a quick look at the bad news.
The story begins back in 2013, when Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against the Scottish government for allowing a wind farm to be built off the coast. He denounced the project as an “ugly monster.” Trump’s proposed golf course would have a direct view of the project, built about 2.25 miles offshore. For comparison, the closest point of the proposed Maryland offshore wind project to the shore would be about 10 miles.
In 2015, Trump learned that he had lost the suit in a unanimous vote by Scotland’s Supreme Court.
Trump claimed that the wind turbines would ruin Scotland’s tourism trade and would kill birds and whales. Actually, record numbers of tourists have been coming to Scotland. Further, a two-year study using radar and AI showed zero bird collisions and no near-misses in the wind project off the coast of Trump’s golf course. There is no evidence to suggest that whales have been harmed by offshore wind off the coast of Scotland—or anywhere else in the world.
Fast forward to January 2025, when Trump took office. His offshore wind antipathy continued, as he announced on his first day in office that no more offshore wind permits would be granted and that those already granted would be subject to review.
Other negative milestones:
But strangely, in the middle of all of this chaos, there’s good news.
Positive milestones:
Construction on Empire I has been allowed to restart, though there is the possibility of a trade-off for two gas pipelines. Gov. Hochul said there was no deal, but the Trump administration declared the opposite. Revolution Wind has also restarted. Owners say they lost $2.3 million/day during the work stoppage.
The Attorneys General of 17 states, including Delaware, and DC, have initiated a lawsuit against the federal government, claiming that disruption of the wind energy industry poses a threat to the supply of clean energy. Both law and precedent are on the side of the plaintiffs.
Great news is that the Charybdis has arrived! For those who don’t know, Charybdis is the first US-built offshore wind installation vessel. A little background here: The Jones Act requires that all ships transporting goods between U.S. points must be built in the U.S., owned at least 75% by U.S. citizens, crewed by U.S. citizens/legal residents, and be “flagged” by the U.S. Up until now, U.S. offshore wind developers have rented such installation, or “jack-up” vessels from Europe, hauling materials out to the offshore wind sites on barges, and then off-loading their cargo onto these European-built ships, and proceeding with the installation. But now the U.S. has its own installation vessel. The Charybdis was built in Texas, paid for by Dominion Power, and is now in port in Hampton Bays, VA, where it can continue with the installation of Coastal Virginia’s Offshore Wind 176 turbines. The ship is 472 ft long by 184 ft. wide, longer than a football field. In “jack-up” position, the Charybdis can avoid wave action and offer a stable platform from which to install turbine components. Upon completion of the CVOW project, the Charybdis will be available for rental by other offshore wind developers.
The folks at U.S. Wind are upbeat about the likelihood of surviving the federal government’s challenges against its Maryland offshore wind project. While the company doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation, it has said it will vigorously defend its permits in federal court and is confident that the court will uphold their validity and prevent any adverse actions against them. The federal government is taking similar actions against four other projects, using similar arguments, but all of the projects are pushing back in court. Because the government contends that the lawfully approved permits must be rescinded, it has the burden of proof, suggesting that its task is more onerous than that of the plaintiffs.
There are 5.834 GWs of projects that are now under construction. Already operational are .772 GWs. Projects totaling 9.2 GWs are threatened, though developers are confident that they will prevail in court. Given that no new permits will be allowed in the offshore wind industry for another three years, the picture is not great. But then, given that over 15 GWs of clean energy is either in the pipeline or close to it, the offshore wind outlook is not a total disaster. The lawsuit by the Attorneys General has yet to be decided; a positive ruling in this case would be a reason for rejoicing. The launching of the Charybdis is a bright light for clean energy advocates. Grateful for progress, we’re mindful of setbacks, but hopeful for what’s to come.
Onward and upward.
Resources:
BBC, “Donald Trump Launches Legal Challenge to Wind Farm Decision,“ May 16, 2013. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-22540249
BBC, “How Trump’s Loathing for Wind Turbines Started with a Scottish Court Battle,” July 29, 2025 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c15l3knp4xyo#
BBC, “Record number of overseas tourists visit Scotland in 2023,” May 17, 2024 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv2rg3rjdvjo#
Oil and Gas People.com “Aberdeen Offshore WIndfarm Killed Zero Birds in Remarkable Two Year Study,” Jan. 3, 2023 https://www.oilandgaspeople.com/news/story/aberdeen-offshore-windfarm-killed-zero-birds-in-remarkable-two-year-study# The findings form part of a €3million, programmes of its kind in the world.
BBC, “Fact-checking Donald Trump's claim that wind turbines kill whales,” Sept. 26, 2023 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66928305#
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/05/g-s1-64393/states-wind-energy-lawsuit-trump-administration https://www.offshorewind.biz/2025/05/06/18-state-coalition-sues-trump-administration-over-block-on-wind-energy-projects/
The Maritime Executive, “First U.S.-Built WTIV Charybdis Arrives in Virginia to Begin Installations,” Sept. 19 2025 https://maritime-executive.com/article/first-u-s-built-wtiv-charybdis-arrives-in-virginia-to-begin-installations