Wind project once halted by Trump begins delivering power

COPENHAGEN, Denmark: An offshore wind farm project, once halted by US President Donald Trump’s administration, has started delivering power to New England’s grid, Danish energy firm Orsted said Saturday.

Built off the coast of Rhode Island, the 704 MW offshore wind farm Revolution Wind is expected to supply enough electricity to power more than 350,000 homes.

“The Revolution Wind project has started delivering power to New England’s electric grid, strengthening the region’s power supply and helping reduce costs for consumers,” Orsted said in a statement.

Orsted has a 50-percent stake in the joint venture Revolution Wind project alongside a renewables infrastructure developer that is part of the BlackRock investment group.

The project, along with four others, was put on hold in December when Washington announced that it was halting all major offshore wind power projects under construction in the United States, citing “national security” risks.

That order was then nullified by a US federal judge in January, allowing work to resume.

The other four projects — Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind off New York, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind and Vineyard Wind off Massachusetts — have also been allowed to resume.

Trump has long complained that windmills ruin views and are expensive. During a previous trip to one of his UK golf courses, the US president urged Britain to stop subsidising the “ugly monsters.”