A federal district court judge in Washington has granted a request from Donald Trump’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to remand a crucial permit for Ocean Winds’ 2400MW SouthCoast Wind project.
SouthCoast Wind is the latest wind farm to come under the Trump administration’s microscope, after its permit was challenged in court by residents of the Massachusetts island-town of Nantucket.
The project secured a pair of offtake agreements for the first 1,287MW of capacity from the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the autumn of 2024.
The construction and operations plan, now remanded for reconsideration, was approved by BOEM in the closing days of the administration of Joe Biden and allows for up to 141 turbines.
The judge cited Trump’s January memorandum ordering a comprehensive review of all offshore wind permitting activity.
The judge also directed BOEM to report back on the status of the bureau’s remand proceedings by 3 January.