RWE slashes US offshore wind jobs over Trump’s renewables policies

German utility RWE has laid off some of its offshore wind employees in the US following president Donald Trump starting his assault on the industry.

RWE employs around 1,500 people in the US and its offshore wind section is headquartered at the company’s office in Boston.

In a regulatory filing, RWE Offshore Wind Services, a US subsidiary of the company, stated that it would cut its Boston-area workforce by May 6. The filing revealed a plan to lay off 73 employees.

The layoffs will mostly affect workers supporting the long-term development of offshore wind projects across the country.

“Last year we announced that, due to market conditions and increased risk profile, we would delay certain expenditures related to our US offshore wind development projects. With the current regulatory and political environment, we have decided to reduce the scope of our development activities and the size of our US offshore team,” the company said in a statement.

This, however, comes as no surprise as the company was already bracing for an eventual Trump election win.

RWE said in November last year that the possibility of a new administration could jeopardize its operations and that it might have to delay its plan to spend €55bn ($60bn) on green technologies globally by 2030.

Trump stopped the sale of new leases and project permitting on his first day in office. His administration is currently reviewing projects and has stated that it would differentiate between those under development versus those that are proposed.

RWE currently has one offshore wind project in the US that is at an advanced stage of development, in a joint venture with National Grid, located off the coast of New York.

The two submitted their 2.8GW Community Offshore Wind project into New York’s offshore wind Round 5 in October last year. The project should see its first offshore wind power delivered in 2030 and both phases are scheduled to be fully operational in 2032.

It will use two proposed interconnection points, one in Brooklyn at the ConEd Clean Energy Hub while the other will interconnect at the E.F. Barrett Power Station in Island Park.

The proposed project will open 700 jobs, deliver up to $300m in wages, and drive some $3bn in economic activity, including over $2bn in direct in-state spending. Community Offshore Wind is also looking to invest up to $250m in developing crucial New York manufacturing facilities, accelerating the growth of the local offshore wind supply chain.