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Released February 10, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--More uncertainty surfaced in the U.S. clean energy market last week amid conflicting signals on the permitting for renewable programs on public land.
The Bloomberg news service reported last week that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) had paused the evaluation of some 168 projects related to renewable energy "pending feedback from the administration."
U.S. President Donald Trump in one of his first acts of office annulled many clean-energy mandates and issued an executive order for a review "to identify those agency actions that impose an undue burden on the identification, development, or use of domestic energy resources -- with particular attention to oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical mineral, and nuclear energy resources."
Doug Garman, a spokesperson for the Army Corps, told Bloomberg on Wednesday the decision was made in response to the executive order, which carried the heading of "Unleashing American Energy."
By Thursday, however, Garman said the restrictions were reversed.
"USACE has just received direction that the temporary pause on actions associated with Presidential Executive Order (EO) 14154 'Unleashing American Energy' has been lifted," he said in an emailed response, adding it wasn't clear why the order was reversed.
A notice sent Wednesday by the Solar Energy Industries Association found the United States has passed 50 gigawatts (GW) in domestic solar module production capacity. Abigail Ross Hopper, the head of the association, said that makes the United Staes the third-largest solar module producer in the world.
"This milestone not only marks progress for the solar industry but reinforces the essential role energy policies play in building up the domestic manufacturing industry that American workers and their families rely on," she said in a statement.
Mixed-messages for the Army Corps followed another executive order pausing leases for offshore wind and a secretarial order from U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright that puts upstream production over advancing an economy with net-zero emissions.
"Net-zero policies raise energy costs for American families and businesses, threaten the reliability of our energy system, and undermine our energy and national security," the order states.
London-based Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) (London, England) had abandoned a wind farm off the coast of New Jersey following the new orders from the White House, though Dominion Energy Incorporated (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia) said it was committed to its 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project. About 50% complete, Dominion said the project is on schedule for completion by the end of next year.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence Power Project Database can click here for a detailed report on CVOW.
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee vetted Trump's energy agenda last week, with members of the Republican Party arguing that federal policymakers need to create a climate that's more supportive of energy development, particularly for oil and natural gas.
The United States is already the world leader in the production of crude oil and natural gas, as well as the top exporter of liquefied natural gas. Before Trump returned to the White House, the U.S. Department of Energy expected to see natural gas, however, fade from the power sector as more renewables come online.
In its January monthly market report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration expected renewables to account for about 27% of the power on the grid by next year, compared with 23% in 2024.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
The Bloomberg news service reported last week that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) had paused the evaluation of some 168 projects related to renewable energy "pending feedback from the administration."
U.S. President Donald Trump in one of his first acts of office annulled many clean-energy mandates and issued an executive order for a review "to identify those agency actions that impose an undue burden on the identification, development, or use of domestic energy resources -- with particular attention to oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical mineral, and nuclear energy resources."
Doug Garman, a spokesperson for the Army Corps, told Bloomberg on Wednesday the decision was made in response to the executive order, which carried the heading of "Unleashing American Energy."
By Thursday, however, Garman said the restrictions were reversed.
"USACE has just received direction that the temporary pause on actions associated with Presidential Executive Order (EO) 14154 'Unleashing American Energy' has been lifted," he said in an emailed response, adding it wasn't clear why the order was reversed.
A notice sent Wednesday by the Solar Energy Industries Association found the United States has passed 50 gigawatts (GW) in domestic solar module production capacity. Abigail Ross Hopper, the head of the association, said that makes the United Staes the third-largest solar module producer in the world.
"This milestone not only marks progress for the solar industry but reinforces the essential role energy policies play in building up the domestic manufacturing industry that American workers and their families rely on," she said in a statement.
Mixed-messages for the Army Corps followed another executive order pausing leases for offshore wind and a secretarial order from U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright that puts upstream production over advancing an economy with net-zero emissions.
"Net-zero policies raise energy costs for American families and businesses, threaten the reliability of our energy system, and undermine our energy and national security," the order states.
London-based Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) (London, England) had abandoned a wind farm off the coast of New Jersey following the new orders from the White House, though Dominion Energy Incorporated (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia) said it was committed to its 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project. About 50% complete, Dominion said the project is on schedule for completion by the end of next year.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence Power Project Database can click here for a detailed report on CVOW.
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee vetted Trump's energy agenda last week, with members of the Republican Party arguing that federal policymakers need to create a climate that's more supportive of energy development, particularly for oil and natural gas.
The United States is already the world leader in the production of crude oil and natural gas, as well as the top exporter of liquefied natural gas. Before Trump returned to the White House, the U.S. Department of Energy expected to see natural gas, however, fade from the power sector as more renewables come online.
In its January monthly market report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration expected renewables to account for about 27% of the power on the grid by next year, compared with 23% in 2024.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
