Previous government reports, including one report for 2024 from the Ministry of Energy and report for 2025 from the Government Accountability Office (an independent government watchdog) have pointed out this problem in the past.
“To date, no mitigation technology has been able to fully restore the performance of affected radars,” the DOE report said. However, there are methods that can help, including software that removes wind turbine signatures. (Think of it like how noise-canceling headphones work, but more complicated, as one expert said. said TechCrunch.)
But the most common and useful tactic, according to the Department of Energy report, is collaboration between developers and the government. By working together on the strategic placement and design of wind farms, groups can ensure that projects do not interfere with government or military operations. The GAO's 2025 report said government officials, researchers and offshore wind companies are collaborating effectively, and any concerns can be raised and resolved during the permitting process.
This and other problems threaten an industry that could be a big boon to the grid. On the East Coast, where these projects are located, and especially in New England, winter could lead to limited supplies of fossil fuels and a sharp rise in prices due to high demand. It just so happens that offshore winds blow strongest in winter, so new projects, including the five embroiled in this battle, could be a big help during the grid's most difficult time.
One 2025 study found that if 3.5 gigawatts of offshore wind were to operate in the winter of 2024-25, it would reduce electricity prices by 11%. (That's the combined capacity of Revolution Wind and Vineyard Wind, two suspended projects, as well as two future projects in development.) Ratepayers would save $400 million.
Before the election of Donald Trump, energy consultancy BloombergNEF predicted that the US would build 39 gigawatts sea wind by 2035. Today, those expectations have dropped to just 6 gigawatts. These legal battles could push it further downward.
The hardest thing to realize is that some of the projects that are challenging are almost finished. Developers Revolution Wind have installed all foundations and 58 of the 65 turbines and say the project is more than 87% complete. Empire Wind is more than 60% complete and is scheduled to supply power to the grid next year.
Hitting the pause button so close to the finish line is daunting not only for current projects, but also for future offshore wind projects in the US. Even if these legal battles clear up and more developers are technically able to get in line, why would they need to? With billions of dollars at stake, if there is one word to describe the current state of the U.S. offshore wind industry, it is “unpredictable.”
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