Offshore Wind & National Security
How will offshore wind energy development impact our National Security?
Early Warning Radar
The entire US East Coast and Canada rely on a single early warning radar system located on Cape Cod at the Space Force Station. An analysis conducted by Westlope Consulting demonstrated that both SouthCoast and Revolution Wind will significantly interfere with the functionality of this system.
Line of Sight Analysis
Because of their height, the turbines are within the line of sight of the early warning detection array. The yellow region of the map demonstrates the turbines and areas of the leases that will be within the line of sight of the early warning radar (EWR). Anything within line of sight has the potential to significantly affect the performance of the system.
Offshore Wind Energy as a threat to National Security
Green Oceans, Save Dowses Beach, ACK for Whales, January 7, 2025
Safety
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) reports that offshore wind energy developments will hinder the Coast Guard’s ability to perform search and rescue operations. Helicopters cannot fly within a field of turbines and ship radar cannot detect targets accurately. The presence of turbines will cause the Coast Guard to abort Search and Rescue operations during inclement weather sooner than they otherwise would. This will result in the loss of human life.
Offshore Wind Energy’s Impact on Search and Rescue
How will offshore wind energy development impact our Grid Security?
Grid Instability
Grid instability and insufficiency pose a significant national security risk because electricity underpins essential infrastructure—ranging from communications and transportation networks to healthcare facilities and water treatment plants. Any significant or prolonged outage could leave the government and emergency services unable to respond effectively to threats or crises and would undermine our military readiness. A stable, resilient power grid is critical for both civilian safety and national defense capabilities. According to the North American Electric Corporation, the US will face significant grid instability and insufficiency challenges in the next decade, primarily due to an increased reliance on intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar.
NERC’s Longterm Reliability Assessment
The North American Electric Corporation’s Long-Term Assessment, December 2024.
Grid Insufficiency
Power outages have become increasingly more common in the past 5 years. The areas where power outages occur correspond with the regions that have added significant intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar-generated electricity, to the grid. These outages are not just inconvenient, but have been responsible for hundreds of deaths, and millions of dollars worth of damages.
As more wind power is added to the grid, power outages become more frequent
Written by IER, March 18, 2024
Cybersecurity
Wind projects introduce new vulnerabilities into the system. Cyber attacks will become more of a risk as we add more wind to the mix. Four nations have now canceled offshore wind projects due to national security concerns. Taiwan, Japan, Finland, and Sweden. Sweden rejected thirteen projects due to national security concerns.
Wind Projects and Cybersecurity
Written by Nora Buli, Nina Chestney and Christoph Steitz