The developer of a New Jersey offshore wind farm designed to power more than 700,000 homes has pulled the plug on the project, the latest setback for a sector whose prospects have worsened under the Trump administration. “This filing marks the closing of a chapter,” Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Chief Executive Officer Joris Veldhoven said in a statement Monday. Last week the company filed a motion with regulators to terminate the renewable energy certificates the project had been awarded. The certificates would have underpinned the project’s finances.  Long seen as a key resource to power major Northeast and Mid-Atlantic cities, offshore wind has struggled with inflation, supply constraints and now an administration intent on slowing its advance. The new president has long been critical of the technology and took particular aim at Atlantic Shores. A few days after his election, Trump called Atlantic Shores a disaster and halted federal funding of wind projects.  Atlantic Shores, planned about 8.7 miles (14 kilometers) off the coast, was meant to encompass as many as 200 wind turbines and provide as much as 2.8 gigawatts of power.  WHAT DO YOU THINK? Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

WASHINGTON— U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright testified today before the U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on the Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request. Last month, Secretary Wright testified before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development to outline the Department’s priorities and provide an overview of the FY2026 request. The FY2026 Budget aligns with President Trump’s directive to restore American energy dominance and rein in bloated federal spending. It brings non-defense discretionary spending to the most disciplined level since 2017 and redirects more than $15 billion away from Green New Scam programs that drive up costs and weaken the U.S. energy system. For more details, view the budget toplines here. Secretary Wright’s opening remarks: Thank you Chairman Latta, Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Castor, and Ranking Member Pallone, and Members of the Committee. It is an honor to appear before you today as Secretary of Energy to discuss the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget request for the Department of Energy.    Under President Trump’s leadership, our priorities for the Department are clear – to unleash a golden era of American energy dominance, strengthen our national security, and lead the world in innovation. A reliable and abundant energy supply is the foundation of a strong and prosperous nation. When America leads in energy, we lead in prosperity, security and human flourishing.   America has a historic opportunity to secure our energy systems, propel scientific and technological innovation, including AI; maintain and strengthen our weapons stockpiles; and meet Cold War legacy waste commitments. The Department of Energy will advance this critical mission while cutting red tape, increasing efficiency, and ensuring we are better stewards of taxpayer dollars.    The President’s Fiscal Year 26 budget will ensure taxpayer

Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, the developer behind the 1.5-GW Atlantic Shores 1 wind energy project in progress offshore New Jersey, filed a petition Wednesday asking the state’s Board of Public Utilities to terminate the project’s offshore renewable energy credits and release it from all associated obligations. The petition cites President Donald Trump’s executive order pausing the development of offshore wind, along with other actions from his administration and the overall macroeconomic environment as reasons that “the project is no longer viable upon the terms and conditions set forth in the [Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificate] Order,” which was issued in 2021. “This is despite Petitioner’s diligent and good faith efforts to advance the Project toward completion as set forth in Section II of this Petition, including submission of a rebid of the Project in the Fourth Solicitation, which was concluded by the BPU without an award,” the petition said. However, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind’s CEO Joris Veldhoven said in a Monday release that the project is seeking a “reset period” and that “this filing marks the closing of a chapter, but not the end for Atlantic Shores.” The project in March had its Clean Air Act permit remanded by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Appeals Board, an action which Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind argued lacked “good cause.” The board maintained that it has “broad discretion to grant a voluntary remand.” The uncertainty caused by Trump’s executive order, the project’s loss of its air permit, “and other actions taken by the current administration more generally” mean that the “Petitioner’s parent company has been forced to materially reduce its personnel, terminate contracts, and cancel planned project investments.” The project was launched as a joint venture between EDF Renewables and Shell. In January, Shell booked a $1 billion impairment associated with the project, which

Utility-scale battery storage in the United States is poised to more than double over the next two years and will close out 2026 at nearly 65 GW — a rapid rise from 17 GW in the first quarter of 2024. The U.S. Energy Information Administration published its Short Term Energy Outlook on Tuesday, showing a rapid increase in anticipated energy storage resources. Counting projects larger than 1 MW in the electric power sector, EIA said domestic storage capacity will rise from about 28 GW at the end of Q1’25 to 64.9 GW at the end of 2026.  Large-scale battery storage resources in the commercial and industrial sectors are expected to rise from about 100 MW to about 300 MW across the same time frame. EIA’s data shows annual U.S. electricity generation rising from 4,180 billion kWh in 2023 to 4,490 billion kWh in 2026. Monthly electricity demand is highest during the summer months in the United States, but despite a cooling degree forecast in line with last year’s weather EIA said it expects total U.S. electricity generation this summer will increase by 1%, or 14 billion kWh, compared with summer 2024.  “We expect strong demand growth in the commercial sector because of the expansion of data centers,” EIA said. EIA anticipates natural gas-fired power plants between June and September 2025 will generate 3% less than they did last summer “because of higher natural gas prices and the continuing increase in new solar generating capacity.” Domestic solar generation this summer will grow by 33%, EIA said, and improving water supply in the western states will contribute to a 6% increase in U.S. hydroelectric generation.

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator on Friday asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve a fast-track generation interconnection process after the agency rejected its initial plan last month. MISO runs the grid and wholesale power markets in 15 states and part of Canada, from Louisiana to Manitoba. In response to FERC’s May 16 decision, MISO set more limits around its proposed Expedited Resource Addition Study process, which would allow projects that meet certain criteria to avoid MISO’s generation interconnection queue and potentially receive an interconnection agreement within 90 days. Under the revised proposal, the ERAS process would be capped at 68 projects, with MISO studying only 10 projects each quarter. The proposed cap includes eight projects for the restructured states of Illinois and Michigan as well as 10 projects for independent power producers with power supply agreements with non-utility entities. The revised process requires “relevant electric retail regulatory authorities,” such as state utility commissions, to verify in writing that a proposed project will address either a load addition not already planned for or an identified resource adequacy deficiency within its jurisdictional footprint, MISO said in its filing. The new proposal also requires projects to have a commercial operation date within three years of an application being filed. MISO plans to end the ERAS process by Aug. 31, 2027, or after its 68-project cap is met, whichever happens first. The proposal addresses potential capacity shortfalls driven by load growth and power plant retirements, according to MISO, which pointed to various reports to support its claims. “These surveys and forecasts demonstrate that MISO must address resource adequacy and reliability needs in the next five years and that an accelerated interconnection study process must be established to address time-critical challenges,” the grid operator told FERC. The ERAS process will provide a bridge to 2028,

Electric utilities can make calls and send demand response text messages to customers who have provided their phone number, the Federal Communications Commission said in a Monday declaratory ruling. “When a consumer gives a utility their phone number they give their prior express consent to receive non-telemarketing demand response calls and texts,” the commission wrote. “We confirm that demand response communications are closely related to utility service and thus within the scope of consent customers give when they provide their phone number to their utility,” FCC said. “We thus make clear that a utility can make critical, time-sensitive demand response communications to its customers rather than having to solicit additional consent from each customer, a burdensome and often costly undertaking.” The Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned utilities, requested in March that the FCC clarify that utilities have prior express consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and utilities can make demand response communications without risking penalties or fines. EEI “appreciates the FCC allowing electric companies to deliver timely and clear communications that help customers conserve electricity — and save money — at times of extremely high demand,” Senior Vice President of Customer Solutions Phil Dion said in a statement. “As summer begins and Americans use more electricity to cool their homes and businesses, demand response programs allow grid operators to maintain reliability while helping to keep customer bills as low as possible.” Utilities see demand response as a key resource to meet growing electricity demand. EEI told the FCC in its March request that the clarification would help “ensure that utilities can continue to provide safe, reliable, and efficient service to customers.” U.S. electricity demand could grow 25% from 2023 to 2030, ICF said in a May report. And utility demand-side management programs, which include demand response, could be able to meet