Statement on Trump Administration Offshore Wind Orders
Contact: Jamie Dickerson – Senior Director, Climate and Clean Energy Programs; jdickerson@acadiacenter.org, 401-276-0600 x102
Acadia Center issued the following statement on the latest actions by the Trump Administration against offshore wind. This is a developing story.
Offshore wind stoppages from the Trump Administration will drive up consumer costs, jeopardize grid reliability, and kill thousands of good-paying jobs
Actions will make energy more costly, less reliable, and more polluting
“Actions taken by the Trump Administration to halt critical offshore wind projects and port infrastructure along the east coast will increase utility bills for families and businesses by hundreds of millions of dollars annually, jeopardize reliable power, and kill thousands of good-paying, union jobs,” said Jamie Dickerson – Senior Director, Climate and Clean Energy Programs at Acadia Center. These stoppages and withdrawn grants will make energy systems more vulnerable to extreme weather events, wreak further damage on federal-state energy system planning and collaboration, and erode investor confidence and market stability – undermining future investment in urgently needed grid infrastructure. From any point of view, halting work on established wind projects that states energy officials are relying on to meet power needs, clean the air, and reduce system costs defies the facts and simply makes no sense.
The August 29 announcement withdrawing and cancelling significant offshore wind port infrastructure funding comes just one week after the stop work order halting progress on the 80% complete Revolution Wind project, which was slated to begin delivering 700 MW of power to Connecticut and Rhode Island in 2026. Other affected port projects in the northeast include those in: Bridgeport, CT ($10.5m); Paulsboro, NJ ($20.5m); Quonset, RI ($11.2m); Staten Island, NY ($48m); and Salem, MA ($33.8m). Without investment in these critical port facilities, the region’s economy and infrastructure will be severely damaged. Further reporting now indicates the Trump Administration may also reconsider previously approved permits for SouthCoast Wind, serving Massachusetts.
Last week, a new study conducted by Daymark Energy Advisors on behalf of RENEW Northeast, found that offshore wind would have saved New England ratepayers at least $400 million in utility bill costs last year, lowering energy market prices by 11% and insulating ratepayers from expensive, volatile natural gas. Today, the grid is dangerously over-reliant on natural gas, which provides over 50% of electricity generation in New England. This overreliance costs ratepayers dearly, with volatility in natural gas prices imposing an extreme burden on ratepayers: on average, the region spends around $3 billion per year on natural gas for power generation, and recently, the region saw a 67% price increase between 2024 and 2025 due to a 112% jump in the price of natural gas (see: ISO New England report). Offshore wind is an effective hedge against this volatility, provide sorely needed on-peak production, and reducing fuel-burn to keep supplies available and replenished during extended cold-snap periods.
The bottom line: analysis after analysis provides compelling evidence that offshore wind will lower utility bills for households in New England and the Northeast. Acadia Center calls on policymakers and stakeholders to hold the Trump Administration accountable for the direct financial harms these project delays and stoppages have and will continue to inflict on families and businesses across the region.
Highlights of this and previous studies on offshore wind and energy affordability include:
Daymark Energy Advisors (August 2025):
Offshore wind would have lowered wholesale energy prices by 11%, saving ratepayers roughly $400m in Winter 24/25.
Under most conservative assumptions additional capacity from OSW would have reduced regional capacity market costs by at least $128 million.
Net bill impact for average residential customers of $1.32 to $2.68/month in savings, even under most expensive PPA scenarios.
Aurora Energy Research (May 2025):
Offshore wind would have saved New York $77 million in electricity costs in a single cold/high-cost winter month in 2022 or 2025.
In analysis of real market conditions in December 2022, study concluded that Empire Wind, Sunrise Wind, and South Fork Wind Farm would have saved New York $77 million.
Even higher wholesale prices in January 2025 would mean even higher savings likely greater than $80m.
Synapse Energy Economics (June 2024):
Nine GW of OSW by 2030 would reduce New England electricity bills by approx. $630 million to $1.7 billion annually under mid and high gas price scenarios, reducing customer bills by $2.79 to $4.61/month.
Would halve region’s spends on natural gas for power gen. (~$3b annually), help region retain $1.57 billion otherwise flowing out of region.
ISO-NE and MassCEC (December 2018):
Over a 16-day cold-snap period, 400 to 1,600 MW of offshore wind would have yielded $20 to $85m in avoided power production costs.
Production would have reduced day-ahead locational marginal prices (LMP) by 4% to 13%.
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