It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
X1 Wind Reaches Key Milestone with DNV Basic Design Certification
This milestone paves the way for the certification of commercial platforms suitable for 15-20MW turbines, which are already under development by X1 Wind.
X1 Wind, a leading developer of innovative floating wind technology, has reached a major milestone with its X100 pre-commercial platform receiving a Statement of Compliance (SoC) for Basic Design from DNV, the world’s leading independent energy experts and certification bodies.
The certification was conducted according to the DNV-SE-0442 standard for the "Certification of floating wind turbines". This independent endorsement confirms that the X100 design meets rigorous international safety, engineering, and technical requirements, providing a critical validation of the platform’s integrity and constructability.
Achieving Basic Design Certification is a pivotal step in X1 Wind’s roadmap. It confirms that the platform’s structural design, stability, and hydrodynamic behaviour—including its response to 500-years extreme waves, wind, and currents—are within safe and predictable limits. Under the scope of Basic Design Approval, DNV has verified the calculation methodologies used by X1 Wind, and the design of the platform, including the station-keeping system, the weathervaning structure, and the turbine integration of the X100 platform for a service life of 25 years. Crucially, this approval significantly accelerates the certification process for X1 Wind’s commercial-scale units. The company already has contracts in place for the scaled-up X150 version, suitable for 15-20MW turbines for major projects in Europe and Asia, using the same approved calculation methodologies established within the X100 certification.
Carlos Casanovas, CTO and Co-founder of X1 Wind, said: "Completing Basic Design certification for the X100 platform is a major milestone for X1 Wind. It demonstrates that our innovative design meets the highest international standards whilst greatly reducing the costs of floating offshore wind. This independent validation is crucial for both technical assurance and for building trust with our partners and future clients, and it serves as a very strong basis for the certification of our commercial-size units. DNV is one of the most rigorous certification bodies in the sector, so we are particularly proud of this achievement.”
The X100 platform will be deployed at the PLEMCAT test site in the Spanish Mediterranean Sea as part of the NextFloat Project. Led by Technip Energies and X1 Wind, this EU-funded initiative aims to accelerate the industrialization of floating wind and substantially reduce its Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). It counts on the support of private capital, EU-funded projects NextFloat and NextFloat+, PAREF project funded by the French State as part of France 2030 operated by ADEME, and the Spanish Government program RenMarinas.
The X100 platform is designed for turbines of around 160m diameter (X100 stands for the hub height of 100m), with power ratings ranging from 6MW to up to 10MW depending on the specific site conditions. The pilot will operate in offshore conditions for several years, providing essential data to support final prototype certification and enable commercial-scale deployment and full-scale commercialization. X1 Wind’s technology combines the stability and low environmental impact of a Tension-Leg Platform (TLP) with the cost-efficiency of semi-submersible structures. This allows for a primary steel platform weight of approximately 1,500 tons, representing an estimated weight saving of 30% to 50% compared to traditional steel floaters installed in European pre-commercial projects of a similar scale.
"The issue of a Statement of Compliance - Basic Design is an important milestone for X1 Wind’s X100 platform. It confirms compliance with the basic design requirements defined in DNV-SE-0422 – Certification of floating wind turbines and a well-defined and developed methodology for the prototype design and development”, closed Claudio Bittencourt Ferreira, Project Manager – Renewables Certification at DNV.
For further information about X1 Wind, visit www.x1wind.com.
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Glamox Wins Contract to Light Korea’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm
Glamox has secured a contract from SHE CO., LTD, on behalf of Hyundai Engineering & Steel Industries (HESI), to supply marine lighting for the Shinan Ui offshore wind farm, which will be South Korea’s largest offshore wind farm. Glamox will deliver around 1,000 specialised marine lights for the jacket transition pieces of 26 fixed wind farm turbines. These turbines will produce 390 Megawatts of renewable electricity, which is currently greater than the combined total of all of South Korea’s offshore wind farms.
Glamox’s offshore wind farm dedicated lighting will illuminate both the interior and exterior of each turbine’s transition piece. The transition piece is the cylindrical steel structure that connects the wind turbine to its foundation. It includes platforms, boat-landing systems, and ladders. The luminaires must function flawlessly, as the area must be well-lit to ensure that inspection and maintenance teams can operate safely.
“This is a significant achievement as our lighting was chosen by a Korean-led consortium and prevailed over local competitors," said Tommy Stranden, Chief Sales & Commercial Officer for Glamox’s Marine, Offshore & Wind division.
“The performance, proven reliability, and long life of our marine lights were essential factors considering the harsh conditions and big offshore temperature fluctuations in the coastal waters of South Korea. Our lights are proven and have a 100,000-hour life and are designed to cope with humidity and temperature ranges from -40 to 50 degrees Celsius,” added Stranden.
Glamox will supply a variant of its MIR G2 water-resistant linear LED luminaire that is specifically designed for offshore wind applications. Its unpainted stainless-steel housing is designed to bond to the structure, creating a perfect Faraday cage to protect internal components from lightning strikes. The linear MIR G2 luminaires will be installed on the platform and inside the transition piece. The platforms will also feature RLX C floodlights. The lighting will be delivered in Spring 2026.
The Shinan Ui Offshore Wind Project involves a consortium, spearheaded by Hanwha Ocean (part of the Hanwha Group) and SK eternix. The wind farm will be located about 4km south of Ui-do Island and is expected to enter production in early 2029. It supports South Korea’s goal to boost its share of renewables in the country’s power mix by 2030.
This is not Glamox's first wind farm project in Korea. In March 2024, the company announced a contract to supply lighting for 10 transition pieces for the Jeonnam Phase 1 wind farm off the west coast of Shinan in the Yellow Sea.
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
Sunday, March 08, 2026
Women rule the roost atop the Gdansk shipyard cranes
Halina Krauze, 65, has been operating cranes at Gdansk shipyard for 30 years
- Copyright AFP Wojtek RADWANSKI
Bernard OSSER
For the past 30 years, Halina Krauze has sat atop a 15-metre (49-foot) crane surveying the Gdansk shipyard, the birthplace of the Solidarnosc trade union.
For eight hours, the 65-year-old displaces tonnes of steel that will become ship hulls and wind turbine components.
She is one of dozens of crane operators at the huge yard, the largest in Central Europe.
Far below the cabin, hundreds of workers in overalls, helmets and protective goggles are busy at work.
The noise is constant, sparks fly and the air is full of welding fumes.
Around 70 percent of Poland’s construction site crane operators are women, a tradition inherited from the Communist era.
In the Soviet period, “women had to be employed somewhere and since they couldn’t do hard labour, they were integrated into other professions”, explained Agnieszka Pyrzanowska, spokeswoman for the state-owned Baltic Industrial Group, which now operates part of the shipyard.
“Entire families worked for the same company.”
Indeed, Krauze met her husband Stanislaw at the yard and today they work in the same unit.
“He’s up there!” she exclaimed, waving energetically at another crane cabin in the sky.
– Remembering a legend –
Krauze joined what was then called the Vladimir Lenin shipyard in 1983, first in a coal-fired boiler room and later operating a crane.
“In the beginning, it was a shipyard. We built a good dozen ships a year. Now we build dozens of wind turbine towers. It’s quite different,” she said.
She is proud to have worked on the same crane as Anna Walentynowicz, one of the founders of Solidarnosc.
It was Walentynowicz’s dismissal in 1980 that triggered the huge shipyard strike and the creation of the first free trade union in the Communist bloc.
Walentynowicz was “a kind of legend, especially among the older generation”, Krauze remembered.
With a steady hand, she manoeuvred a huge wind turbine section, five metres in diameter, across the yard.
“There are people below you so you have to be careful nothing happens to them,” said Lesia Kovalchuk, a 48-year-old Ukrainian colleague.
Kovalchuk was a crane operator in Ukraine for 15 years before moving to Poland as a refugee when Russia invaded her country in 2022.
Now she teaches young apprentices on Gdansk construction sites.
“In Ukraine, it’s completely normal for women to operate cranes. No-one is surprised,” she shrugged.
Both women agreed their male colleagues preferred to work with them than with other men.
“Women are calmer and more precise,” Hrauze opined.
“Blokes try to get things done as fast as they can. Girls are all about finesse,” Kovalchuk grinned.
One thing has changed though, since the Communist era.
At those days, women workers used to receive small gifts on International Women’s Day — “those famous tights, chocolates, carnations…”, Krauze recalled.
“There’s nothing any more,” she said ruefully. “The unions have all forgotten about women.”
Friday, March 06, 2026
Trump Tracker: Why we're keeping count of every climate attack the POTUS unleashes in 2026
Copyright Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Euronews Green is holding the world's most powerful man to account, by documenting all the ways he's sabotaging climate progress this year.
In a world crippled with uncertainty, one thing is for sure: 2026 will go down in history as the year that Donald Trump single-handedly unravelled decades of climate progress.
Since his return to the White House, the POTUS and his administration have turned their back on science, ruthlessly retreating from global pledges and institutions to prioritise the profits of big polluters.
It's stripping the US – which remains the world's largest historical polluter – of any kind of accountability, while the world edges dangerously close to irreversible climate disaster.
But here's the thing: climate change and its devastating effects do not stop at country borders. What one nation does impacts us all.
That's why Euronews Green has consistently covered Trump's unwavering climate setbacks – from his "drill baby drill" attitude over Venezuela's oil reserves to repeatedly describing wind energy as a "con".
Keeping up with these fast-moving stories can be hard, which is why we've created the Trump Tracker – documenting every single action the POTUS is taking to bolster fossil fuel giants and sabotage progress.
Just two months into 2026, and we're already struggling to keep up.
March: A huge blow in the ocean
'Incredibly sadistic' attack on whales
On 3 March, the Trump administration announced plans to revoke vessel speed restrictions on the Atlantic coast that protect whales, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.
Speed limits were put in place back in 2008 to align with climate-related changes in the ocean, with research showing it decreases the risk of whales being struck by ships.
But, the new notice aims to replace the speed limit rule with "unproven technological solutions" that the Centre for Biological Diversity say is not an appropriate substitute for slowing down boats.
“It’s incredibly sadistic to destroy a solution that helps shield endangered whales from being killed by speeding ships," says Rachel Rilee, oceans policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity.
"Trump officials are attacking one of the only protections North Atlantic right whales have against extinction. This is a brutal blow to right whales, who need and are legally entitled to far more help than they’ve been getting. I’m disgusted to see the Trump administration going after these beloved animals.”
February: More retreat and less science
'Beautiful clean coal power'
On 11 February, Trump signed an executive order directing the defence department to buy more electricity generated by coal – which is considered the dirtiest, most polluting way of producing energy.
"When burnt, coal releases more carbon dioxide than oil or gas, so it’s by far the worst fuel when it comes to climate change," says Greenpeace. "Coal also produces toxic elements like mercury and arsenic, and small particles of soot which contribute to air pollution."
The executive order does not mention climate change or the environmental impacts of burning coal. Instead, it is referred to as "beautiful clean coal power".
Repeal of the endangerment finding
On 12 February, the Trump Administration formally rescinded a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for US action to regulate heat-trapping gasses and fight climate change.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule revoking a 2009 government declaration known as the endangerment finding. This Obama-era policy determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.
The endangerment finding is the legal underpinning of nearly all climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources that are heating the planet. It is used to justify regulations, such as auto emissions standards, intended to protect against threats made increasingly severe by climate change – deadly floods, extreme heat waves, catastrophic wildfires and other natural disasters in the US and around the world.
Relate
“The Trump administration is abandoning its core responsibility to keep us safe from extreme weather and accelerating climate change,'' says Abigail Dillen, president of the nonprofit law firm Earthjustice.
“There is no way to reconcile EPA’s decision with the law, the science and the reality of disasters that are hitting us harder every year. Earthjustice and our partners will see the Trump administration in court.”
January: UN withdrawal, Venezuela's oil and legal fights
'What happened to global warming?'
In the last week of January, a dangerous winter storm swept across much of the US, leaving at least seven dead, cutting power to thousands of homes, and causing thousands of flights to be cancelled.
Trump used the weather event to cast further doubt on global warming, writing on American conservative-focused social media platform Truth Social: "Record Cold Wave expected to hit 40 states. Rarely seen anything like it before.
"Could the Environmental Insurrectionists please explain - WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING?"
More than a dozen scientists tell news agency AP that the president’s claims are wrong. They point out that even in a warmer world, winter and cold occur, and they never said otherwise. They note that even as it is cold in the eastern United States, more of the world is warmer than average. They also stressed the difference between daily and local weather and long-term, planet-wide climate change.
Meteorologists also said that global warming over the past couple of decades may make this cold seem unprecedented and record-smashing. But government records show it has been much colder in the past.
“This social media post crams a remarkable amount of inflammatory language and factually inaccurate assertions into a very short statement,” says climate scientist Daniel Swain of the California Institute for Water Resources. “First of all, global warming continues – and has in fact been progressing at an increased rate in recent years.”
'Stupid' wind turbine rant
Speaking at the World Economic Forum(WEF) in Davos on 21 January, Trump made several dubious claims about Greenland, NATO and renewable energy.
In a speech that lasted over an hour, Trump claimed that China makes "almost all" of the world's wind turbines, which he continues to refer to as "windmills".
"Yet I haven’t been able to find any windfarms in China,” he said. "Did you ever think of that? It’s a good way of looking. China is very smart. They make [wind turbines].”
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One after leaving the World Economic Forum in Davos for Washington, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Trump went on to argue that China sells wind turbines to other countries for a “fortune”. “They sell them to the stupid people that buy them, but don’t use them themselves,” he added.
According to energy think tank Ember, China’s wind generation in 2024 equalled 40 per cent of global wind generation. In April 2025, wind and solar power generated more than a quarter of the country's electricity.
China is also home to the world's largest wind farm, which is visible from space. Located in the vast desert region of western Gansu, construction of the Gansu Wind Farm began in 2009, with the first phase being completed just a year later. It already features more than 7,000 turbines.
Blocking clean energy grants
On 11 January, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally when it cancelled $7.6 billion (around €6.52 billion) in clean energy grants for projects in states that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.
The grants supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 different states. This includes battery plants, hydrogen technology projects, upgrades to the electric grid and efforts to capture carbon dioxide emissions.
The Energy Department says the projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable. Russell Vought, the White House budget director, said on social media that “the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled".
However, US District Judge Amit Mehta said the administration’s action violated the Constitution’s equal protection requirements.
Anne Evens, CEO of Elevate Energy, one of the groups that lost funding, said the court ruling would help keep clean energy affordable and create jobs.
She told AP: "Affordable energy should be a reality for everyone, and the restoration of these grants is an important step toward making that possible."
Trump’s interest in Greenland
Trump’s growing obsession with Greenland has triggered concerns from environmentalists over its critical mineral resources, which are seen as “essential” for the green energy transition.
A 2023 survey found that 25 of the 34 minerals deemed 'critical raw materials' by the European Commission were found in Greenland. The nation is estimated to hold between 36 and 42 million metric tons of rare earth oxides, making it the second-largest reserve after China.
Tapping into these resources could help the US reduce its dependency on China, which currently processes over 90 per cent of the world’s rare earth minerals, and empower the US as demand rises.
Since his first term, Trump has been trying to tackle this issue – passing bills to increase American mineral production and stepping up deep-sea mining within both US and international waters.
However, some experts believe Greenland’s mineral reserves could just be a smokescreen for Trump’s real motives.
New dietary guidelines
The US Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture have come under fire after releasing their 2026 dietary guidelines, which encourage American households to prioritise diets built on “whole, nutrient-dense food.”
The new food pyramid puts an image of a red steak and ground beef at the top under the “protein” section, despite beef being responsible for 20 times more greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein than plant-based alternatives such as beans and lentils.
Neither of these foods appears on the food pyramid, but they are mentioned in the full dietary guidelines.
“While there are many ways to meet our protein needs, not all protein sources have the same impact on people or the planet,” says Raychel Santo, a food and climate researcher at the World Resources Institute (WRI).
“Beef and lamb, in particular, have some of the highest environmental costs of any protein-rich food – with significantly higher greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water pollution per ounce of protein than most alternatives.”
Controlling Venezuela’s oil
After US special forces snatched Venezuela’s President and his wife in a lightning raid, Trump has shown a clear interest in the country’s oil reserves.
Venezuela holds the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, sitting on an estimated 303 billion barrels (Bbbl) – outranking petrostates like Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Trump immediately confirmed the US would be “very strongly involved” in the country’s oil industry, with plans to send large US firms to fix Venezuela’s oil infrastructure and “start making money for the country”. In an interview on 8 January, he said the US could tap into Venezuela’s oil reserves for years.
In an era of accelerating climate breakdown, eyeing Venezuela’s vast oil reserves this way is both reckless and dangerous
Mads Christensen
Greenpeace International
“The only safe path forward is a just transition away from fossil fuels, one that protects health, safeguards ecosystems, and supports communities rather than sacrificing them for short-term profit," Christensen adds.
US pulls out of UN climate treaty
The POTUS was accused of “sinking to a new low” after pulling the US out of a key climate treatyin a sweeping withdrawal from global institutions.
In a Presidential Memorandum signed on 7 January, Trump argued it is “contrary to the interests of the US” to remain a member of, participate in, or provide support to more than 60 international organisations, treaties and conventions.
This includes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) – which aims to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions – and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s leading authority on climate science.
"At a time when rising seas, record heat, and deadly disasters demand urgent, coordinated action, the US government is choosing to retreat," says Rebecca Brown, President and CEO of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).
"The decision to defund and withdraw from the UNFCCC does not absolve the US of its legal obligations to prevent climate change and remedy climate harm, as the world’s highest court made clear last year."
On 27 January, Trump also officially exited the Paris Agreement – a move he initially put in motion on his first day in office on 20 January 2025. It leaves the US the only country to have withdrawn from the pact, which aims to limit global warming from reaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Iran, Libya and Yemen are the only countries that didn't join the agreement.
Sunday, March 01, 2026
From trash to climate tech: rubber gloves find new life as carbon capturers materials
Millions of rubber gloves end up in incineration or landfill, but researchers at Aarhus University, Denmark, have now developed a technology that can turn the used gloves into a way to capture CO₂
Every year, over 100 billion nitrile rubber gloves are produced. They are made from synthetic polymers—a material chemically related to plastic and derived from crude oil. The vast majority is used in the healthcare sector, and most are discarded after single use. This creates a massive amount of material waste globally. However, Simon Kildahl, a postdoc at the Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University, has moved a step closer to a way of recycling these gloves. In a new study published in the scientific journal CHEM, he and his colleagues demonstrate how they can transform waste rubber into a CO2 adsorbent in the laboratory. The potential, he explains, is significant.
"A plastic bottle can be recycled relatively easily, as we know from deposit-return systems. But other plastic materials are problematic because they cannot be reused in the same way. Therefore, they often end up being burned, which is currently the case for rubber gloves," he says.
"In our experiments, we converted the glove so that it can capture CO2 instead of becoming a waste product that releases CO2 and other harmful gases during incineration."
Major Breakthroughs
Simon Kildahl is part of the Skydstrup Group under the Novo Nordisk Foundation CO2 Research Center (CORC). Headquartered at Aarhus University, the center is a global collaboration of universities researching ways to capture CO2 or convert it into products like fuel via Power-to-X.
The group has previously succeeded in recycling materials such as polyurethane foam from mattresses, as well as epoxy and glass fibers from wind turbine blades—materials that were previously considered impossible to recycle. Now, it appears they have succeeded with rubber gloves as well.
"Specifically, we shred the rubber glove into small pieces. It then reacts with a ruthenium-based catalyst and hydrogen gas, after which it can capture CO2 from simulated flue gas," Simon Kildahl explains. "In the real world, this could potentially take place at a power plant."
When heated, the rubber product regenerated and then the CO2 again, allowing the gas to be sent for underground storage or used in Power-to-X. Simultaneously, the material is refreshed and ready to capture new CO2.
Revolutionary Perspectives
The method is brand new. While materials for CO2 capture already exist, Kildahl’s approach stands out by using waste material that would otherwise be burned or landfilled.
The experiments bring us a step closer to a more climate-friendly alternative that aligns with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) goal of removing 5–16 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually by 2050.
To reach these goals, CO2 must be captured from biomass incineration plants or directly from the air. The problem is that current methods require a scale-up of oil-based production, which inherently reduces the overall climate benefit.
"That is why it is smart to utilize a waste material available in such large quantities, rather than extracting more oil from the ground," Simon Kildahl points out. "With the rubber glove, we can create a CO2 capture material where almost every atom in the product comes from waste, except for a small amount of hydrogen, which can ideally be obtained from water via Power-to-X."
Promising Results
Currently, the experiments are at the laboratory stage. The goal is to make the process scalable and economically viable - a goal Kildahl believes is well within reach.
On a scale from early idea (TRL 1) to fully implemented commercial technology (TRL 9), the research is currently at a level 3 or 4.
"We are working on a gram scale right now, and reactions can look and behave differently when we scale up to kilograms. But our results look very promising," he says.
The process also needs to become cheaper to produce, as the catalyst currently used is expensive.
"However, we have reached a 'proof of concept.' It is entirely possible that we can reach level 5 or 6 in the near future if we can improve the scalability and the economy of the reaction, as well as enhance certain performance parameters for CO2 capture with these materials," Simon Kildahl concludes.
CO2 Capture with Post-Modified Nitrile- and Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene Rubbers
Article Publication Date
27-Feb-2026
COI Statement
Two chamber reactors (COware®) used for some of the reactions in the work is developed and commercialized by SyTracks®, which is co-owned by professor Troels Skrydstrup, who is part of this work and leader of the research group.
Monday, February 23, 2026
DOJ Files Appeal on Court Blocking Trump’s Moratorium on Wind Energy
DOJ filed an appeal on the court decision blocking Trump's moratorium on reviewing applications and leasing (file photo)
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment & Natural Resources Division filed notice with the district court in Massachusetts for an appeal on the court ruling blocking Donald Trump’s Executive Order from January 2025 establishing a moratorium on permitting, leasing, and other authorizations for wind energy projects. It is the latest step in the Trump administration's continuing battle against renewable wind energy.
The filing came 45 days after District Judge Patti B. Saris had ruled in December 2025, calling the Executive order unlawful. Signed immediately after Trump’s return to the White House, the order instructed all agencies to freeze any activity pending a review of the leasing process. It applied to all the permits filed by companies seeking to develop both offshore and onshore wind energy. It did not impact previously approved projects but stopped future advancement.
Trump has long been a vocal critic of wind energy and especially offshore wind farms. He made it a platform in his 2024 run for the presidency, promising to stop the industry. He wrote on social media, calling wind energy “the scam of the century.” Recently, he said wind energy is for “stupid people.”
A coalition led by New York State and made up of 17 states and the District of Columbia, and calling itself the Alliance for Clean Energy, filed a challenge in May 2025 to the Executive Order. The states argued that it jeopardized large investments made in the sector and their ability to meet future energy needs. They said the order violated U.S. law because it was a blanket restriction and because it was not supported by a reasoned explanation. They argued the federal government has an obligation under the law to review and process applications within a reasonable amount of time.
Judge Saris found for the alliance in December, blocking the Executive Order. The ruling called the order “arbitrary and capricious,” saying it was a violation of multiple elements of the Administrative Procedure Act, which spells out how the government handles processes such as the review and approval of applications. The ruling agreed that the government could not indefinitely suspend the reviews and was required by statute to review the applications and make a determination in a “reasonable time.”
Lawyers at the firm of Harris Beach Murtha, which had represented the Sunrise Wind project during its application with New York’s regulator NYSERDA, pointed out the order only meant the reviews would continue. They noted that the administration could still “either deny them outright or subject them to lengthy reviews.” Further, the order did nothing to resume future lease auctions.
The administration had 60 days to file its appeal on the ruling. A spokesperson for the White House said the administration would continue its efforts and that “the administration looks forward to its ultimate victory on the issue.”
The \court has started the process for the lawyers to register for the appeal. It will then set a deadline for both sides to submit their initial arguments.
Separately, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had said earlier in the month on Bloomberg Television that the administration also plans to appeal the five preliminary injunctions issued by individual courts against its stop-work orders issued to the five under-construction offshore wind farms. Each of the projects received an injunction so that work could resume offshore while the courts continued to consider the argument that new confidential data from the Pentagon raised national security concerns. Burgum has done multiple TV interviews raising the issue of radar interference from the wind turbine blades and towers, while the companies argue they spent years in review and gained approvals from the Department of Defense.
The projects are proceeding, and in the case of Vineyard Wind 1, it is weeks away from completion. Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore and Revolution Wind are both expected in the near future to start their first power generation. Construction on the five projects should be completed by 2027.
