On Monday morning, as ferry commuters crossed New York Harbor, the turbines off the Atlantic coast stood as a reminder of missed energy targets. The United States’ original plan—launched under the Biden administration—to generate enough offshore wind to power over 10 million homes by 2030 has hit significant turbulence. Five years after the initial pledge, the sector is grappling with slow permitting, financing obstacles, and a sharp policy reversal during the Trump administration.

Industry groups such as the American Clean Power Association report that fewer than a dozen offshore wind turbines have been fully commissioned to date, providing only a fraction of the anticipated capacity. In legislative sessions this summer, state officials from Massachusetts to Virginia cite ongoing uncertainty around federal support and supply chain disruptions, with developers deferring or cancelling projects slated for 2026 and beyond.

While President Trump’s term saw aggressive rhetoric and regulatory rollbacks aimed at offshore wind, the industry’s current stagnation is also rooted in global price shocks and rising interest rates. According to BloombergNEF, the average cost of offshore wind contracts in the US now exceeds $110 per megawatt-hour, up 35% from projections at the start of the decade.

Advocacy organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, warn that unless federal agencies streamline permitting and deliver on promised investment guarantees in the second half of 2026, the sector risks falling short of both climate and economic targets. With the summer heat intensifying grid demand along the Eastern Seaboard, reliability and energy transition plans are under heightened scrutiny from policymakers and grid operators.