Offshore wind power: EDF, Engie and TotalEnergies suspend their projects in the United States

The United States, the world's largest oil producer, is still in its infancy in the offshore wind sector: barely three small farms are operating to produce renewable electricity in federal waters. And the country could remain there for some time yet. Donald Trump's return to the presidency has brought any offshore wind projects still in the development phase to a halt, that is, before any construction even begins.

This is enough to upset the most active developers on the ground: mainly European companies, including the major French energy companies (EDF, TotalEnergies and Engie), the Norwegian Equinor, the German RWE, a subsidiary of the Spanish Iberdrola, as well as the Danish Orsted.

Upon his inauguration on January 20, well before tightening customs duties across the board, Mr. Trump rushed to publish a "memorandum" freezing operating permits and federal loans for any offshore wind project . A campaign promise quickly implemented. Entering into force the next day, for an indefinite period, the document cites the concern to preserve both "marine life" and the "fishing industry" – while agreeing to grant offshore concessions for... oil or gas.

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