Duke Energy, one of the US’s premier energy providers, has agreed to scrap its plans to build a wind farm off the coast of North Carolina following discussions with the Trump administration.
Duke has accepted a settlement of US$129m from the White House with the proceeds expected to go instead towards investments in nuclear power and natural gas, as well as upgrades to the grid.
The termination of the company’s offshore wind lease is just the latest scalp of US President Donald Trump’s campaign against wind energy, which has already seen TotalEnergies axe its plans for two arrays on the Eastern Seaboard.
The agreement, announced by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on 29 June, covers Duke's Carolina Long Bay lease, a site located around 22 miles south of Bald Head Island in Brunswick County.
The site had been earmarked to generate enough electricity to power more than 300,000 homes.
