紐時賞析／川普全面喊停東岸離岸風電

美國國防部幾年前在5座風力發電廠計劃被提出時，已一再檢視這些計劃，而負責專案的公司稱它們從未被指出有國家安全疑慮。紐約時報

Billions at Stake as Trump Throttles Offshore Wind Farms

川普全面喊停東岸離岸風電

It was three days before Christmas, and Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, was getting ready for a party when he got a shocking text that the Trump administration had halted construction on a nearly completed $6.2 billion wind farm off Rhode Island that employed hundreds of his members.

耶誕節前3天，美國勞工總聯盟暨產業組織大會羅德島州分會主席克勞利正準備參加派對，卻接到令他震驚的簡訊。內容是川普政府下令停止建造接近竣工、價值62億美元的羅德島離岸風力發電廠，而這個設施僱用了他數百名成員。

The same thing had happened in August, stunning leaders in Connecticut and Rhode Island, where the wind farm was expected to power more than 350,000 homes and businesses. But the two states and Orsted, the Danish energy giant behind the project, Revolution Wind, had sued, and in September a federal judge had allowed construction to resume.

類似情況去年8月就曾發生，當時讓康乃狄克州與羅德島州政府措手不及。該風場原本預計可爲超過35萬戶家庭與企業供電。不過，這兩州和「風力革命」專案幕後的丹麥能源公司「沃旭能源」已提起訴訟，聯邦法官去年9月已允許恢復建設。

Businesses around the world have been roiled by President Donald Trump’s sudden policy shifts. But few have had it worse than offshore wind companies.

全球企業近來頻受川普政策急轉彎衝擊，而離岸風電產業首當其衝。

In its abrupt Dec. 22 announcement, the Trump administration halted work on all five wind farms under construction off the East Coast. They are collectively worth $25 billion and were expected to power more than 2.5 million buildings and create around 10,000 jobs.

川普政府去年12月22日突然宣佈，全面停止東岸5座正在施工的離岸風場，總投資額高達250億美元，預期可供電給250萬棟建築，並創造約1萬個工作機會。

The Biden administration had awarded the permits, allowing the developers to secure financing, sign contracts to sell the electricity to states and utilities, hire workers and lease equipment. Revolution Wind, Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind off New York, Vineyard Wind off Massachusetts and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind would join two smaller operating offshore wind farms in U.S. coastal waters.

拜登政府已核發許可證，並允許開發商取得融資、與各州和公用事業簽下售電合約、僱用員工並租賃設備。紐約州近海的風力革命、風力帝國和風力黎明發電廠、麻州近海風力葡萄園，及維吉尼亞州海岸離岸風力發電廠，將與目前已在美國沿岸水域運行的較小離岸風力發電廠共同運作。

But as it did in August, the Trump administration said last month that the projects posed undisclosed risks to national security, even though the federal judge had rejected a similar claim.

但正如去年8月發生的事，即使聯邦法官已駁斥類似說法，川普政府上月表示，這些專案有國安疑慮。

Developers of four of the five wind farms, along with the states of Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island, are suing to try to restart construction. Court hearings start Monday.

5個風力發電廠中4個的開發商，及康乃狄克州、紐約州和羅德島州正提起訴訟，試圖恢復建設。法庭聽證會將於週一開始。

Any delays in these projects could cause them to unravel. At Revolution Wind, Orsted is using a ship called the Wind Scylla to install steel turbines. The ship is only under contract until Feb. 22.

這些專案發生任何延誤都可能導致失敗。在風力革命專案，沃旭能源正使用名爲「斯庫拉之風」的船安裝鋼製渦輪機。但這艘船的合約2月22日到期。

Equinor, the developer of the $5 billion Empire Wind off Long Island, said that if it could not resume work by Jan. 16, it would likely have to cancel the $5 billion project because the vessel needed to lift the substation onto its foundations has to leave this month and would not become available for at least another year.

挪威能源公司Equinor指，若位於紐約長島外海、耗資50億美元的「帝國風場」工程無法在1月16日前恢復，該計劃恐將被迫取消。原因是負責將變電站吊裝至基座的專用船隻必須在本月離開，且至少1年內都無法再度投入使用。

文／Maxine Joselow and Brad Plumer，譯／羅方妤

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