Trump doesn’t like wind power, but North Carolina should | Opinion

President Donald Trump’s move this week to pause five major offshore wind power projects won’t affect North Carolina directly, but it represents another setback for tapping one of the greatest wind energy resources on the East Coast.

North Carolina should be among the nation’s leaders in harnessing its strong coastal winds offshore and onshore to generate electricity. Getting there has been stymied by opposition from coastal communities, military and environmental concerns, and a lack of commitment from the state’s largest utility, Duke Energy.

But those issues can be overcome. Offshore wind turbines would be so far off the coast as to be barely visible. Turbine locations can accommodate military concerns about flight paths and radar interference. Offshore turbines elsewhere have not presented environmental threats. Duke Energy, facing growing demands for electricity and pressure to reduce carbon emissions, could see the value of adding more wind power.

That potential turnaround is now further off as Trump has declared war on wind power. He has approved a 90-day pause in offshore wind projects off Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Virginia. Some were near completion and all are badly needed.

The pause, ostensibly ordered out of national security concerns, may lead to an extended stoppage. That would not only cost developers of the existing projects, but it would scare off potential investors in future projects.

Katharine Kollins, president of the nonprofit Southeastern Wind Coalition headquartered in Chapel Hill, is skeptical about the Trump administration’s claim that national security issues are behind the sudden stoppage of wind power projects.

“I can’t imagine there’s any validity to it, given the extensive process all these have gone through,” she said. “There are no surprises like that that just come up.”

Kollins noted that China has erected extensive fields of offshore wind turbines without concerns about interference with its defense systems.

Companies that have invested in wind power will go to court to end the stoppage, Kollins said. “I have no doubt that lawsuits will follow,” she said. “There is $30 billion in investment on the line. Companies aren’t going to say, ‘OK.’ ”

Dominion Energy, the utility developing a large wind farm off Virginia, has already filed a complaint in federal court.

What’s really driving the shutdown is Trump’s support of the fossil fuel industry and his personal dislike for wind power. He unsuccessfully sought to block wind turbines near one of his golf courses in Scotland and has repeatedly attacked the “windmills” as unsightly and a hazard to birds.

Trump is letting his bias undermine what should be his first concern – reducing the cost of living. The rapid growth of data centers to support AI development has ramped up the demand for electricity and is putting upward pressure on electricity rates. Adding new sources of electricity would help utilities meet that rising demand and while holding down rates.

While wind power has long been heralded as a way to reduce the use of fossil fuels in power plants, it’s now being recommended as an additional source under an “all the above” approach to electricity generation.

“What has happened is that utilities find themselves in a place where they need every electron they can get,” Kollins said.

Wind power complements solar power among renewable energy sources. While solar power is at its best during sunny days, wind blows stronger at night and during stormy weather.

Beyond its fit among energy sources, wind power also generates construction jobs and has spurred the building of specialized large ships to carry huge turbine parts and lay cable.

The benefits of land-based wind farms are already being realized in North Carolina. The Timbermill wind farm has 45 turbines spread over 6,000 acres in Chowan County in the state’s northeastern corner. It is now the county’s largest single taxpayer even as its presence allows most of the land to still be used for crops.

Trump’s tantrum against wind power means more counties won’t be seeing its benefits. But Gov. Josh Stein should push to continue the extensive planning and testing needed to expand wind power in North Carolina. By the time Trump leaves office, North Carolina should be ready to go with the wind.

Associate opinion editor Ned Barnett can be reached at 919-404-7583, or nbarnett@newsobserver.com