
-
El Salvador's Bukele flaunts 'iron fist' alliance with Trump
-
Stock markets mixed as uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
China probes for key target weak spots with 'paralysing' Taiwan drills
-
'Top Gun' and Batman star Val Kilmer dies aged 65: New York Times
-
US lawmakers seek to rename street for Hong Kong's jailed Jimmy Lai
-
Greece to spend big on 'historic' military shake up
-
Trump faces first electoral setback after Wisconsin Supreme Court vote
-
Hay shines as New Zealand beat Pakistan for ODI series win
-
Israel says expands Gaza offensive to seize 'large areas'
-
Curry drops 52 as Warriors win, Jokic bags career-high 61 in Denver loss
-
South Korea mobilising 'all resources' for violence-free Yoon verdict
-
Myanmar quake victim rescued after 5 days as aid calls grow
-
Real Madrid coach Ancelotti tax fraud trial set to begin
-
Warner showcases 'Superman' reboot, new DiCaprio film
-
'Incredible' Curry scores 52 as Warriors down Grizzlies, Bucks edge Suns
-
Asian markets edge up but uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
Nintendo's megahit Switch console: what to know
-
Nintendo to unveil upgrade to best-selling Switch console
-
China practises hitting key ports, energy sites in Taiwan drills
-
Oil, sand and speed: Saudi gearheads take on towering dunes
-
All eyes on Tsunoda at Japan GP after ruthless Red Bull move
-
'Image whisperers' bring vision to the blind at Red Cross museum
-
Hay shines as New Zealand make 292-8 in Pakistan ODI
-
Other governments 'weaponising' Trump language to attack NGOs: rights groups
-
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors
-
How a Brazilian chief is staving off Amazon destruction
-
Meme politics: White House embraces aggressive alt-right online culture
-
China launches military drills in Taiwan Strait
-
US senator smashes record with 25-hour anti-Trump speech
-
Brazil binman finds newborn baby on garbage route
-
US senator smashes record with marathon anti-Trump speech
-
Trump advisor Waltz faces new pressure over Gmail usage
-
Niger junta frees ministers of overthrown government
-
Trump set to unleash 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Boeing chief to acknowledge 'serious missteps' at US Senate hearing
-
Real Madrid hold Real Sociedad in eight-goal thriller to reach Copa del Rey final
-
Nuno salutes 'special' Elanga after stunning strike fires Forest
-
PSG survive scare against Dunkerque to reach French Cup final
-
Sundowns edge Esperance as crowd violence mars quarter-final
-
Nottingham Forest beat Man Utd, Saka scores on Arsenal return
-
Elanga wonder-goal sinks Man Utd as Forest eye Champions League berth
-
Stock markets mostly advance ahead of Trump tariffs deadline
-
US movie theaters urge 45-day 'baseline' before films hit streaming
-
Saka scores on return as Arsenal beat Fulham
-
Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
-
Ball-blasting 'Torpedo bats' making waves across MLB opening weekend
-
Newsmax shares surge more than 2,000% in days after IPO
-
Thousands of Hungarians protest against Pride ban law
-
GM leads first quarter US auto sales as tariffs loom
-
Tesla sales tumble in Europe in the first quarter

Trump casts chill over US wind energy sector
Donald Trump has long ranted against wind energy -- claiming turbines are unsightly, dangerous to wildlife and too expensive -- with him threatening to upend decades of industry progress just a few hours after resuming power.
"We're not going to do the wind thing," Trump said Monday as he returned to the Oval Office for the first time in four years as commander-in-chief.
"Big, ugly windmills," he said as he signed a series of executive orders that has brought the sector into crisis, adding that "they kill your birds, and they ruin your beautiful landscape."
Among the measures were a temporary freeze on federal permitting and loans for all offshore and onshore wind projects.
Jason Grumet, president of the American Clean Power Association (ACP), quickly slammed the move, saying it "increases bureaucratic barriers, undermining domestic energy development and harming American businesses and workers."
After the announcements, wind-related stocks fell into the red.
"It's had a real cooling effect on the sector," Elizabeth Wilson, an offshore wind specialist at Dartmouth University, told AFP.
Conflict-weary developers are already "backing away from some of these projects," she said.
Coming at the same time as he has declared a "national energy emergency," some observers have noted a contradiction in Trump's assault on wind energy.
Though not as robust as in Europe, wind energy in 2023 accounted for some 10 percent of US electricity production -- more than twice as much as solar.
Onshore wind power is also relatively inexpensive, according to experts, with the price per megawatt-hour ranging from $27 to $73 in 2024, far less than nuclear or coal -- though rates could fluctuate in the future.
Ember, an energy think tank, warned on Thursday that the United States "risks being left behind in the clean industrial revolution" as major economies such as China are increasingly "embracing wind as a source of cheap, clean electricity."
It remains to be seen what the longterm effects of Trump's actions will have on the sector, which has already faced struggles in the United States in recent years due to rising costs from inflation and interest rates, along with mounting local opposition to projects.
The offshore wind industry, still in its infancy in the United States, is likely to be the hardest hit, according to Wilson, as the majority of exploitable marine areas are in federal waters subject to Trump's measures.
However, "most of the onshore development happens on private lands where the federal government doesn't really have any control," she added.
- 'I don't want even one built' -
Days before taking office, Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform: "I don't want even one (windmill) built during my Administration."
That pledge has seriously spooked the sector, which is worried he could permanently block subsidies or the environmental approvals needed for certain projects.
Such moves would likely be challenged in court and prompt political backlash.
"Ninety-nine percent of onshore wind power projects are on private lands, and the private landowners generally like these wind farms, and they get a lot of economic benefit from them," said Michigan Technological University professor emeritus Barry Solomon.
He noted that the projects are also largely in Republican-led states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas and the Dakotas.
The ACP also warned that restricting wind development would "increase consumer energy bills."
Despite the headwinds, some experts remain optimistic.
"Ultimately... the economics is driving the desire for wind and solar," said University of Delaware professor Jeremy Firestone.
With artificial intelligence, he added, energy needs "are increasing a great deal. So there's going to be a lot of pressure to continue to build out wind turbines."
F.Bennett--AMWN