TotalEnergies exits Carolina Long Bay wind lease

April 11, 2026

Summary

TotalEnergies accepted a federal buyout for its North Carolina offshore wind lease and said it will shift the money to gas projects.

Why this matters

The decision affects plans for offshore wind development off North Carolina and highlights how federal policy changes can alter major energy investments. It also leaves uncertainty around how the region will meet growing electricity demand.

TotalEnergies accepted a federal buyout of its offshore wind leases off North Carolina and New York, the Interior Department announced March 23.

The France-based company said it would redirect the refunded money to a liquefied natural gas export terminal in Texas and other fossil fuel projects. In the Interior Department release, TotalEnergies Chief Executive Officer and board Chair Patrick Pouyanne said the company made the decision because offshore wind projects are “not in the country’s interest.”

The Carolina Long Bay wind energy area covers more than 110,000 acres about 22 miles offshore south of Bald Head Island and is divided into two leases. In June 2022, TotalEnergies Renewable USA paid more than $133 million for one lease. In May 2022, Duke Energy paid $155 million for the adjacent lease.

Projects in the Carolina Long Bay area were expected to generate up to 3 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power about 675,000 homes, and provide more than $4 billion in net economic impacts. TotalEnergies had said its project could eventually power 300,000 homes in the Carolinas.

After taking office in January 2025, President Donald Trump ordered a halt to new offshore wind leases and required reviews of existing and permitted projects. In December, the administration also ordered work stopped in five East Coast offshore wind energy areas, including Dominion Energy’s 2.6-gigawatt project based in Hampton Roads, Virginia, citing national security risks. Courts later allowed those projects to continue operating while the cases proceed.

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Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a package of public safety bills Friday, including measures on firearms, support for first responders, and victim protections.

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Some of the measures had bipartisan support, and some had previously been vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican.

Among the firearm measures, House Bill 19 by Del. Adele McClure, D-Alexandria, and Senate Bill 160 by Sen. Russet Perry, D-Loudoun, barred intimate partners convicted of domestic violence from obtaining or possessing firearms. HB93 by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, D-Alexandria, and SB38 by Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, set age and residence requirements for people who may receive firearms transferred from people under protective orders or convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes.

Spanberger also signed “ghost gun” bills by Del. Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax, and Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, banning the manufacture, sale, and possession of untraceable firearms without serial numbers. HB21 by Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, and SB27 by Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, allowed firearm manufacturers and dealers to face liability when negligent business practices contribute to gun violence.

Other signed bills included HB1313 by Del. Katrina Callsen, D-Charlottesville, expanding workers’ compensation for law enforcement officers and firefighters with post-traumatic stress disorder, and HB248 by Del. Vivian Watts, D-Fairfax, and SB317 by Perry, allowing professionals from multiple agencies to jointly respond to behavioral health calls.

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IBM reached a settlement with the federal government Friday, agreeing to pay about $17 million to resolve allegations tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

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Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh won a sixth consecutive term, taking 97.81% of votes cast in Friday’s election, according to official results published by the state-run news agency.

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NASA’s Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific on Friday, completing the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years.

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Separately, a senior Iranian source told Reuters that the United States had agreed to release frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks.

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