Trump administration to pay German firm $1.2bn to halt US wind projects

7 August 2026 Share Save Add as preferred on Google Rorey Bosotti Getty Images German energy company RWE has said it will abandon its offshore wind projects in the US after reaching a $1.2bn (£892m) payout deal with President Donald Trump’s Department of the Interior (DoI). RWE said that it will now reinvest the sum into conventional gas projects, including $900m (£669m) in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal project in Louisiana. “After careful consideration, it was determined there is no path forward to permit these projects in the US for the foreseeable future,” the company said in a statement. Trump has derided wind power for years and often uses his rally speeches to rail against “ugly” turbines. Fact-checking Trump claim that wind turbines kill whales Six possible effects of Trump’s climate policy change RWE said it has agreed to relinquish its leases off the California and Louisiana coasts as well as in the New York Bight. Overall, the German firm plans to invest approximately €17bn (£14.5bn; $19.6bn) in the US over the next six years “to grow its generation capacity”. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement posted on X that Americans deserve an energy system built on common sense and not one dependent on “costly subsidies”. “We welcome RWE’s agreement and voluntary investment in projects that strengthen our nation’s energy security,” he added. The deal is the latest the Trump administration has reached this year as Trump, a vocal supporter of the fossil fuel industry, continues his push to halt offshore wind projects. Trump has sought to boost government support for fossil fuels after campaigning for the presidency under the slogan “drill, baby, drill”. Days after his return to office, he said “we’re not going to do the wind thing” and called them “big, ugly windmills” that were dangerous to wildlife. And this week, he said that “any country with windmills is a loser”. In March 2026, the DoI reached a deal with TotalEnergies putting an end to the French company’s offshore wind projects in the US. Instead, the firm agreed to reroute investment to build a LNG plant in Texas and to develop “upstream conventional oil” in the Gulf of Mexico. The administration signed a similar $129m (£96m) agreement with Charlotte-based Duke Energy last month in exchange for the termination of the company’s offshore wind lease in the Carolina Long Bay area. How Trump’s loathing for wind turbines started with a Scottish court battle US pauses offshore wind projects over security concerns Trump revokes landmark ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health Environment Wind power Energy industry Donald Trump United States RELATED The best mangrove photography of 2026 Plug-in solar panels are coming to a shop near you – here’s what to know Michael Sheen hopes ‘extraordinary’ reaction to toxic waste documentary spurs action MORE FROM THE BBC Just now Dozens of US and Canadian citizens missing after flash flooding in Nepal They are among hundreds of people still unaccounted for, with authorities for both countries saying they are closely monitoring the situation. 6 hrs ago Key moments in trial of mother accused of murdering her three children Closing arguments are about to start in a trial which has drawn global attention to the rare condition postpartum psychosis. 10 hrs ago Trial date set for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed His plea deal to avoid a death-penalty trial was rejected by a federal appeals court last summer. 13 hrs ago Meta’s $18bn settlement may hasten reckoning for social media on child safety Perhaps our days of doomscrolling are numbered, writes the BBC’s technology editor Zoe Kleinman. 13 hrs ago How Dolly Parton’s business savvy helped her succeed far beyond the charts Whi