Trump administration to reconsider approval of Massachusetts wind farm

The Trump administration will reconsider the permit for SouthCoast Wind, a Massachusetts offshore wind farm approved by the government of former US President Joe Biden last year, according to a federal court filing seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

In a motion filed in US District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday, attorneys for the Department of Justice said the Interior Department intended to reconsider the approval of SouthCoast Wind's construction and operations plan.

The DOJ filed the motion in a lawsuit brought by the island town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, earlier this year challenging the agency's approval of the project, which is planned for 32.2 kilometres off its coastline. Last year, a turbine failure at an offshore wind farm caused debris to wash up on Nantucket beaches.

In the filing, the administration asked for more time to respond to Nantucket's complaint because it was preparing to ask the court to send the decision back to the agency by no later than September 18.

Representatives for SouthCoast Wind were not immediately available for comment. In a September 1 filing, the company opposed the government's motion for an extension.

The project is being developed by Ocean Winds, a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Richard Chang)