Trump just blocked 165 US wind projects – here’s what’s behind it

The Trump administration has effectively frozen 165 new onshore wind farm developments in the US, leaving the projects on private land in limbo, the Financial Times reported yesterday. Combined, they represent around 30 gigawatts of electric generating capacity.

The Financial Times, citing the American Clean Power Association and other sources, reports that the Pentagon is holding up approvals* across a wide swath of projects – including some that were close to final sign-off, others still under negotiation, and even projects that wouldn’t normally fall under Pentagon review.

Since August 2025, wind developers have faced canceled meetings, long stretches of silence, and applications that are no longer being processed, according to people familiar with the situation, the Financial Times reported.

Letters sent to developers in early April said the Pentagon is now reviewing how it evaluates the national security impact of energy projects.

That justification has been wheeled out before. The Trump administration tried to halt offshore wind projects by pointing to classified national security concerns tied to radar interference – a move that triggered legal challenges, and the administration was ultimately unsuccessful in court.