Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.
In August an order from the Department of the Interior stopped construction on a wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island that was already 80% done.
So this week on Possibly, we had Nat Hardy and Emma Mejia from our Possibly Team break down what this decision means for everyday Rhode Islanders.
Nat Hardy: Hi, Megan!
Emma Mejia Hello!
Megan Hall: So could you give us a quick refresher, what’s going on with this wind farm?
Nat Hardy: Sure. So the windfarm is called Revolution Wind. It’s a 65 turbine wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island.
Emma Mejia: The turbines should make enough electricity to power around 350,000 homes. And that power will be split between Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Nat Hardy: The project has been under construction since 2023, but it took 9 years before that to get all the permits.
Emma Mejia: They’ve already connected it to the grid, and most of the turbines are already built. The project was expected to open in early 2026, until this order stopped construction.
Nat Hardy: But the latest update in the story is that last week, Ørsted, the company building the wind turbines, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
Emma Mejia: That same day, the Attorneys General of Rhode Island and Connecticut also filed a lawsuit against the administration, arguing that the order is against the law.
Megan: So, what happens next?
Nat Hardy: With those lawsuits going on, it’s unclear how or when the situation will get resolved, but for now, the project is on hold.
Megan Hall: Ok, so what does that mean for Rhode islanders?
Emma Mejia: To find out, we talked to Stephen Porder. He’s an environmental scientist at Brown University and our show’s founder.
Nat Hardy: Stephen says Rhode Islanders will feel this the most when they get their utility bills.
Emma Mejia: One of the big benefits of switching to clean energy is more stable prices.
Stephen Porder: 87% of Rhode Island’s electricity comes from natural gas consumption. Natural gas prices go up and down with geopolitical events. They go up and down as this administration pushes to export more natural gas.
Nat Hardy: But with clean energy, where there’s no fuel to burn, the cost is predictable, and most of it is up front.
Stephen Porder: There’s no doubt that in the long run, renewable energy is going to be cheaper. Solar is already cheaper. Wind will get cheaper because you don’t have to pay for anything other than maintenance once you build the thing and plug it in.
Emma Mejia: In fact, even ISO New England, the group that runs the region’s electric grid, said in a statement that the delay “will stifle future investments, increase costs to consumers, and undermine the power grid’s reliability and the region’s economy.”
Nat Hardy: But stopping construction on the project will also affect people’s jobs. Ørsted, hired more than 1,000 people to work on the wind farm. A joint statement by the presidents of Rhode Island and Connecticut’s AFL-CIO labor unions said that the order has left hundreds of workers unemployed and many more at risk of losing their jobs.
Emma Mejia: But Rhode Island’s efforts to create pollution-free energy will take the biggest hit.
Nat Hardy: Rhode Island legislators committed to having 100% clean electricity in just 8 years
Emma Mejia: And Revolution Wind was expected to make about 20% of the electricity we need right now.
Megan Hall: Woah, And that’s what, just from like around 30ish turbines?
Nat Hardy: Yeah, just Rhode Island’s share of the wind farm can do that. And that’s the thing – Stephen says it would just take a few more projects like this one, and we could get to 100% clean energy pretty quickly.
Stephen Porder: And that’s just an incredible opportunity for the first time in human history to be free from burning stuff to get our energy. Look, you know, I’m 53 years old. I got, let’s hope, 30 more years. I wanna see the end of that transition. And this decision to shut down Revolution Wind is just standing in the way.
Nat Hardy: To see if we get there, we’ll keep an eye on these lawsuits.
Megan Hall: Great! Thanks, Nat and Emma!
That’s it for today. You can find more information, or ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, at askpossibly.org. You can also subscribe to Possibly wherever you get your podcasts or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Bluesky at “askpossibly”
Possibly is a co-production of Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.
