Gov. Ned Lamont and other officials gathered at New London State Pier on Wednesday to celebrate Revolution Wind, an offshore wind farm that powered on earlier this month after facing numerous legal challenges from the Trump administration.
“This was pretty tricky going back over the last year. It was on again, off again, on again, off again with the federal government,” Lamont said. “We weren't always sure we'd be able to get this over the finish line.”
The wind project, located off the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island, will eventually generate enough electricity to power 350,000 homes.
Connecticut could have used that energy last winter, Lamont said, when the state had to rely on oil to get through the cold weather.
“All of a sudden, the price of power spikes during very cold spikes like that,” he said.
“People say, ‘Oh boy, wind’s expensive.’ You ought to see what it costs without wind power.”
The news comes as the Trump administration recently paid $1 billion to TotalEnergies, a French developer, to give up two offshore leases for wind projects in New York and North Carolina. That money will instead go toward fossil fuel projects with the company pledging not to develop any new offshore wind projects in the United States.
“TotalEnergies’ studies on these leases have shown that offshore wind developments in the United States, unlike those in Europe, are costly and might have a negative impact on power affordability for U.S. consumers,” according to a statement from the company.
“Since other technologies are available to meet the growing demand for electricity in the United States in a more affordable way, TotalEnergies considers there is no need to allocate capital to this technology in the U.S.”
Katie Dykes, commissioner for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, called the news about TotalEnergies “disappointing.”
“Rather than deleting these resources and making them unavailable, we should be investing our taxpayer resources wisely and helping to get more energy supply onto our growing economies and to the folks that need it,” Dykes said.
What the Trump administration’s actions could mean for the future of new offshore wind in New England is unclear, which also has potential implications for State Pier Terminal in New London. In recent years, the pier underwent a major redevelopment, costing more than $300 million, to become an assembly site for offshore wind projects.
The pier assembled turbines for Revolution Wind and SouthFork Wind, an offshore wind project in New York.
The pier will continue to assemble turbines for Sunrise Wind, another offshore wind project in New York, through the end of 2027 and will continue to be available for other wind projects should they be approved, according to Michael O’Connor, executive director of Connecticut Port Authority.
“The agreement we have with partners would allow for subsequent wind leases to be built right out of the state pier going forward,” O’Connor said.
“We're working with the rest of the partners to see who is it that can get to another wind lease next because we're certainly willing to host more projects.”
Construction on Revolution Wind is more than 90% complete and is expected to be finished later this year.
Áine Pennello is a Report for America corps member, covering the environment and climate change for Connecticut Public
