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Wind Power News: North Carolina
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational mission to provide information about industrial wind energy development to readers seeking such information. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the credited organizations or individuals and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law. The original articles, links to which are provided, may have additional links and photos and other media that were not included here.
Duke Energy to sell back its North Carolina offshore wind area lease
Duke Energy is joining the growing list of companies selling back their offshore wind energy leases to the Trump administration. The company has agreed voluntarily to terminate an area on the North Carolina coast. Under the terms of the agreement announced today by the Department of the Interior, Duke Energy will be partially reimbursed for its offshore wind lease, which was in a very early stage of development. The company has agreed to redeploy the funds from its Carolina Long . . . Complete story »
U.S. is negotiating to cancel more offshore wind leases
Executives at the French company Engie confirmed today that they are in discussions with U.S. officials about possibly canceling their offshore wind farm leases. Last month, the administration agreed to reimburse TotalEnergies for its offshore wind leases and hinted it might use the same technique with others, although advocates and lawmakers are questioning the legal authority. The Trump administration said in March that it had agreed to reimburse TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion it had paid to acquire a large lease . . . Complete story »
US Gov’t, TotalEnergies strike USD 1 billion deal; company to invest reimbursed offshore wind fees in its oil & gas projects
The US Department of the Interior (DOI) and TotalEnergies have signed settlement agreements to terminate the company’s two offshore wind leases in the United States, confirming recent reports that a deal was being drafted under which TotalEnergies would be reimbursed USD 928 million (around EUR 806 million) paid in lease fees. Under the deal, TotalEnergies, along with its partners, will relinquish the offshore wind lease areas in Carolina Long Bay and New York Bight, and recover the lease fees from . . . Complete story »
How wind turbines harm the environment
Environmentalists used to try to defend natural environments like forests and wildlife like whales and birds. Not anymore. The current crop of climate alarmists would rather clear cut ancient forests for their solar and wind “farms” and say “never mind” when these entities kill off the wildlife. The danger wind turbines pose to the environment is receiving attention around the world. A major British newspaper, the Daily Telegraph of London is reporting that a French court has ordered a wind . . . Complete story »
Impact of Timbermill’s wind turbines: Light pollution angers locals
Residents in Bertie County expressed their frustrations over the blinding lights of Timbermill’s wind turbines at a meeting with NC legislators. Approximately 60 attendees called for action against the lights’ disruptive nature, which blink 81,000 times per hour, significantly impacting local tranquility. Around 60 very upset people attended a meeting featuring NC Senator Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck, and NC Representative Ed Goodwin, R-Chowan, to share their concerns Tuesday evening at the Occano Pool House in Bertie County. That pool house has . . . Complete story »
Pentagon sounds alarm over Biden plan for offshore wind sites
The Pentagon is sounding alarms over Biden administration plans to advance offshore wind projects along the central Atlantic US coast, warning that almost all of the new terrain eyed for development conflicts with military operations. Maps shared with industry stakeholders and seen by Bloomberg News show vast red areas that the Navy and Air Force have deemed “highly problematic,” covering prime real estate the Interior Department last year earmarked for leasing off the coasts of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and . . . Complete story »
New law repeals offshore wind energy lease moratorium
President Joe Biden signed into law this week a sweeping measure that promises to address inflation in part by lowering Americans’ energy costs and bolstering the clean energy economy. The administration said the new law would reduce the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars and create millions of good-paying, clean energy jobs. The Inflation Reduction Act also removes the Trump administration’s 10-year moratorium on offshore wind energy leasing. “That is certainly the most impactful provision for offshore wind for . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind turbine impacts a trade-off, panelists say
WILMINGTON – Heat records have broken across Europe and the U.K., claiming hundreds of lives. Forests in burn-scarred areas of California may not recover because of the severity of wildfires in that state. Cities from the northeastern United States to the west coast are opening cooling centers as a reprieve from heat wave after heat wave sweeping the country. These are a sampling of extreme weather-related events headlining the news this week. On Tuesday, the day the United Kingdom broke . . . Complete story »
Biden ’emergency’ offshore wind push faces Trump roadblock
As part of his efforts to take executive action to address climate change, President Joe Biden said yesterday he would advance offshore wind development for Southeastern states – a prospect seemingly prohibited by a moratorium signed by his predecessor. Wind advocates said they aren’t ready to celebrate yet, instead focused on maintaining a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act currently moving through Congress to reverse the 10-year ban on offshore energy development in the southern Atlantic Ocean signed by former . . . Complete story »
Big Blow: Offshore wind power’s devastating costs and impacts on North Carolina
One of President Joe Biden’s day-one executive orders sought to double offshore wind by 2030, and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued an executive order for developing 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of wind turbine-generated energy by 2030 and 8 GW by 2040. Both Biden and Cooper justified their orders by declaring they would fight climate change, create jobs, and grow the economy. Such an extreme, rushed government intervention in the critical energy sector makes it imperative for policymakers and the public . . . Complete story »
