特朗普政府与德国能源公司RWE达成12.2亿美元协议，RWE将放弃其在纽约、加州和路易斯安那州沿海的海上风电租赁权[1]。这是特朗普政府与能源公司达成的第五笔类似交易，截至目前政府已花费近40亿美元纳税人资金用于终止可再生能源项目[1]。
根据协议条款，RWE将把这笔资金投向化石燃料领域[1]。该公司计划花费9亿美元获得路易斯安那州液化天然气项目16%的股份，同时签署3亿美元涡轮预留协议用于在全国开发15座天然气峰值电厂[1]。RWE在2022年竞拍中曾为纽约租赁支付了11亿美元[1]。美国内政部长Doug Burgum表示欢迎该协议[1]。此前，纽约等七个州因特朗普政府与TotalEnergies达成的类似协议已对政府提起诉讼[1]。
The Trump administration has reached a $1.22 billion settlement with German energy company RWE to relinquish its offshore wind energy leases along the coasts of New York, California, and Louisiana [1]. Under the agreement with the U.S. Department of Interior, RWE will abandon these renewable energy development rights in exchange for the substantial payment [1].
This settlement marks the largest such deal the Trump administration has brokered with an energy company, and represents the fifth comparable agreement the government has negotiated to terminate renewable energy projects [1]. The total expenditure across these five agreements now approaches $4 billion in taxpayer funds [1]. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum welcomed the RWE arrangement [1]. Previously, the administration had reached agreements totaling $2.7 billion with oil giant TotalEnergies and utility company Duke Energy to end similar offshore wind initiatives [1].
Rather than develop wind power, RWE plans to redirect its investment toward fossil fuel infrastructure [1]. The company intends to spend $900 million to acquire a 16 percent stake in a liquefied natural gas project in Louisiana, and has signed a $300 million turbine reservation agreement to construct 15 natural gas peaking power plants across the nation [1]. The decision carries legal consequences, as seven states including New York have filed lawsuits against the government over the TotalEnergies-related offshore wind termination [1].
The timing of RWE's surrender is significant given that the company paid $1.1 billion for its New York lease during a 2022 auction [1].