{"id":5118,"date":"2026-07-21T17:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T17:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5118"},"modified":"2026-07-21T17:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T17:36:12","slug":"duke-energy-ends-wind-lease-off-nc-coast-lawmaker-calls-it-a-trump-pattern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=5118","title":{"rendered":"Duke Energy ends wind lease off NC coast. Lawmaker calls it a Trump \u2018pattern\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Democrats in the North Carolina congressional delegation are insisting on details of an agreement that canceled a coastal Duke Energy renewable energy project.<\/p>\n

Read more Ella Langley Overcomes Wardrobe Malfunction in a ‘Stadium Full of People’<\/a><\/p>\n

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced<\/a> late last month that it had settled with Duke Energy to terminate the energy company\u2019s offshore wind lease in the Carolina Long Bay area off the coast of Brunswick County, and to redirect $129 million, described as the value of the lease. Duke in 2022 paid $155 million for the lease.<\/p>\n

The agency said the funds will be reinvested into \u201cadditional generating capacity\u201d for North Carolinians.<\/p>\n

The letter, headed by Raleigh Rep. Deborah Ross, is additionally signed by Reps. Valerie Foushee of Hillsborough and Alma Adams of Charlotte.<\/p>\n

Ross told The News & Observer that Duke Energy\u2019s lease cancellation isn\u2019t isolated \u2014 \u201cit\u2019s a pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the Trump administration has \u201chad an all-out war on offshore\u201d wind projects by halting or attempting to halt several projects across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat has been happening is they have been making it harder for people to do the construction, and everybody\u2019s seeing that,\u201d Ross said. \u201cSo, people who have leases may say, \u2018Oh, well, that\u2019s not worth my time and effort anymore. I want my money back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe, the executive vice president and CEO of Duke Energy Carolinas, said the settlement allows the energy company \u201cto refocus $129 million in ways that directly benefit our customers and communities,\u201d including into nuclear and natural gas generation.<\/p>\n

The Interior Department has stated<\/a> that offshore wind projects create a national security risk since the turbines can interfere with radar by obscuring \u201clegitimate moving targets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ross said she hopes the letter brings transparency to the federal government\u2019s \u201cpattern and practice\u201d of ending offshore wind projects.<\/p>\n

The Southern Environmental Law Center, an advocacy organization based in Chapel Hill, said offshore wind is a critical part of North Carolina\u2019s energy future and Duke Energy\u2019s carbon-neutral goals.<\/p>\n

In a statement sent to The N&O, Duke Energy said it \u201ccontinues to focus on providing reliable, affordable energy to our customers that is increasingly clean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis includes operating the nation\u2019s largest regulated nuclear fleet, which provides half of our power in the Carolinas, along with adding significant amounts of solar and storage in the near term as well as other zero-emitting resources such as advanced nuclear in the long-term,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

Ross said the decision to halt the wind project is costing North Carolina money and jobs. She said the project generates jobs \u201cthat can\u2019t be outsourced,\u201d compared to other industries where the state could lose jobs to other countries.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are in a situation with an administration that wants to go backward on climate change, and we\u2019re seeing the effects of climate change every single solitary day,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to go forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

In March, the Interior Department announced<\/a> a different settlement with TotalEnergies, a company that also had a lease in the Carolina Long Bay area south of Bald Head Island. The federal government settled with the energy company for $133 million.<\/p>\n

The announcement specifically points out that the energy company will reinvest its settlement money into oil, natural gas and liquid natural gas production across the country.<\/p>\n

In Virginia, Dominion Energy sued the Department of the Interior for attempts to shut down its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. A judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia first granted<\/a> the energy company\u2019s request to block the move, then granted a motion to pause litigation until August.<\/p>\n

The Interior Department said Duke Energy\u2019s offshore wind project lease was in a \u201cvery early stage,\u201d and that the termination of the lease will \u201cconvert a national security concern that will lower the costs for its customers in North Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ross said Duke Energy \u201chas put in its integrated resource plan, which is how they plan for how they\u2019re going to provide energy, that this is what they were going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to know how the deal went out,\u201d she said, referring to discussions between the federal agency and the energy company.<\/p>\n

Under state law, Duke Energy is required<\/a> to be carbon-neutral by 2050.<\/p>\n

Munashe Magarira, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said Duke Energy\u2019s own analysis shows \u201cthat we will likely experience pretty unprecedented energy demand growth, primarily from data centers and other large customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven that pretty unprecedented growth, offshore wind will be a critical part in meeting the state\u2019s future energy needs,\u201d he said. \u201cTo take off a vital asset in reaching energy needs and in meeting our decarbonization goals feels really shortsighted, and it feels like we\u2019re kind of undermining our progress to be able to meet some of the goals and requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Magarira said he had \u201cpretty serious concerns\u201d about Duke Energy meeting the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. He said the company invested money and time into the project, \u201cand now, essentially because we have a change in priorities at the highest level, Duke has gone back on its commitments and is using part of the money that it invested to reinvest in the energy modernization strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think to go back on this large investment, … which would have helped decarbonize the grid and would\u2019ve helped to create some jobs, raises some questions as to, why was this agreement reached?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Magarira said the decision, \u201cat least for the short to medium term, takes off the table a pretty vital and valuable resource that provides power with no emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Best breakfast? This NC-based fast-food chain again ranks No. 1 in the US<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NC congressional Democrats led by Rep. Deborah Ross demand details after Interior settles with Duke Energy to end its Carolina Long Bay offshore wind lease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nDuke Energy ends wind lease off NC coast. 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