Officials say that the US decision to halt a wind project in New England has a negative impact on grid reliability and jobs.

Energy and labor officials warned on Monday that the Trump administration's decision to stop work on a large wind farm being built off the coasts of Rhode Island could threaten grid reliability and create jobs.

ISO New England which operates the grid across six states and North America’s Building Trades Unions issued these criticisms after the Interior Department of President Donald Trump abruptly stopped work on the Revolution Wind Project, which was 80% completed, on Friday, citing unknown national security concerns.

On Monday, shares of Orsted, a Danish project developer, fell to new lows.

The grid operator of 15 million people, ISO, said: "We expect this project to be online soon and we include it in our analyses on near-term reliability and future grid security." "Delaying this project will increase reliability risks."

NABTU, a coalition of 14 unions in the building and construction industry, stated that the order would affect the jobs of 1,000 of its members.

In a recent statement, NABTU President Sean McGarvey stated that a "stop-work order" is a fancy bureaucratic phrase, but it only means to remove skilled American workers from their jobs after they have spent a decade building and delivering.

The Revolution Wind project, located off the coasts of Rhode Island and Connecticut, was due to be completed in 2019. It was expected to generate enough electricity to supply 350,000 homes throughout Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Both Democratic governors in these states have criticized Interior Department's move. They say it threatens jobs, energy affordability, and reliability of electricity.

A spokesperson for the Interior Department had no comment about the order to stop work on Monday. Orsted was informed of the move in a late-Friday letter.

Donald Trump, Republican President, has repeatedly criticised wind energy for being ugly, unreliable, and expensive. His administration has taken a number of steps to curb wind development. Reporting by Nichola Kroom in Los Angeles, and Laila Kearney from New York. Editing by Cynthia Osterman.

(source: Reuters)