"The Pentagon is sounding alarms over Biden administration plans to advance offshore wind projects along the central Atlantic US coast, warning that almost all of the new terrain eyed for development conflicts with military operations.

Maps shared with industry stakeholders and seen by Bloomberg News show vast red areas that the Navy and Air Force have deemed “highly problematic,” covering prime real estate the Interior Department last year earmarked for leasing off the coasts of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

The Defense Department’s concerns, which come on top of other conflicts identified by the U.S. Coast Guard, have spooked renewable power developers and U.S. East Coast states counting on mid-Atlantic wind farms to meet clean energy and climate goals.

The breadth of the Pentagon’s opposition could imperil President Joe Biden’s bid to install 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power — equivalent to 30 nuclear reactors — by the end of the decade, newly bolstered state goals for the development and planned manufacturing facilities in Maryland and Virginia tied to the nascent U.S. industry."

Jennifer A Dlouhy reports for Bloomberg April 17, 2023. [2]