RWE has stopped offshore wind activities in United States

RWE halts US offshore wind plans amid regulatory uncertainty

Robert Besser
30 Apr 2025, 00:58 GMT+10

RWE has stopped offshore wind activities in United States

German energy giant RWE has paused its offshore wind operations in the United States, citing ongoing regulatory uncertainty under President Donald Trump’s administration, CEO Markus Krebber said
Krebber’s comments reflect the growing unease among European energy firms about the shifting policy landscape in the U.S., where offshore wind has faced increasing resistance
Trump has previously criticized wind turbines, describing them as “garbage” earlier this year

FRANKFURT, Germany: German energy giant RWE has paused its offshore wind operations in the United States, citing ongoing regulatory uncertainty under President Donald Trump's administration, CEO Markus Krebber said in remarks prepared for the company's annual general meeting.

Krebber's comments reflect the growing unease among European energy firms about the shifting policy landscape in the U.S., where offshore wind has faced increasing resistance. Trump has previously criticized wind turbines, describing them as "garbage" earlier this year.

"We have stopped our offshore activities for the time being," Krebber said, adding that the company remains cautious in light of the current political climate.

The move follows a similar decision by Norway's Equinor, which last week suspended offshore construction on its Empire Wind I project in New York after a stop-work order from U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

RWE, Germany's largest power producer, has a significant renewable energy footprint in the U.S., where it operates about half of its installed green capacity. The company holds development rights at three offshore sites and last month confirmed it had scaled back operations there, though it stopped short of saying they had been entirely halted.

Among those projects is Community Offshore Wind, a 3-gigawatt joint venture with the U.K.'s National Grid, in which RWE holds a 73 percent stake. According to RWE's latest annual report, the venture's non-current assets are valued at 1.31 billion euros (US$1.49 billion) after accounting for depreciation.