President Trump’s new executive order has paused all new federal offshore wind leases and halted approvals for both onshore and offshore wind projects on federal lands pending a broad environmental and permitting review. The order, which has no specified end date, aims to reassess impacts on wildlife but cannot stop wind projects already far along in the permitting process, such as Connecticut’s Revolution Wind.
The uncertainty created by the order has left New England energy planners reconsidering their future power supply strategies. It may even revive discussions about expanding natural gas pipeline capacity into a region that has added significant gas-fired generation but little pipeline infrastructure.
At the same time, ISO New England is shifting from its longtime three-years-ahead forward capacity market to a new “prompt and seasonal” format. This will allow the grid operator to make shorter-term, more accurate assessments of power needs, better reflecting seasonal demand and the adoption pace of technologies like EVs and heat pumps.
Wind currently plays a major role nationwide, and New England states recently authorized ISO-NE to pursue new regional transmission lines—particularly to connect Maine’s onshore wind resources to Connecticut—representing the first multi-state transmission procurement of its kind.
Massachusetts offers a model for responding to shifting federal policies through its new Office of Energy Transformation, efforts to decarbonize peaker plants, and strategies to step away from reliance on the Everett LNG terminal. The state passed major clean energy legislation last year and has launched an Energy Affordability Agenda, including bill credits, discounted rates for moderate-income households, and a review of grid costs to reduce consumer burdens. Governor Healey also plans to file legislation aimed at improving both affordability and energy independence.
We wrote an article on the impact of Executive Orders on the New England Grid for April's issue of Oil & Energy Magazine, you can read that article in its entirety here: President Trump Hobbles New England's Electric Grid Plans