The Green Imperialism: How Western 'National Security' Becomes a Weapon Against Renewable Energy Progress

The Facts: Ørsted’s Battle Against U.S. Regulatory Interference

Denmark’s Ørsted, a global leader in renewable energy, finds itself in a legal confrontation with the U.S. government over the sudden suspension of its Revolution Wind offshore project lease. The Trump administration’s December 22 decision to halt five major offshore wind projects, citing unspecified national security concerns, represents a devastating blow to a project that was approximately 87% complete and scheduled to begin generating electricity by January 2026. This 50-50 joint venture between Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables had already absorbed billions of dollars in investment, with companies proceeding based on previously secured government approvals after undergoing extensive review processes.

The suspension triggered immediate financial consequences, with Ørsted’s stock plummeting 13% following the announcement. The project’s developers have now filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking an injunction against what they argue is an unjustified and arbitrary governmental action. This case arrives amid broader challenges facing the U.S. offshore wind sector, including inflation pressures, high interest rates, supply chain disruptions, and regulatory uncertainty that have collectively hampered renewable energy development.

Context: The Pattern of Western Energy Protectionism

This incident cannot be viewed in isolation but rather as part of a disturbing pattern where Western nations, particularly the United States, manipulate regulatory frameworks and national security arguments to protect established energy interests while simultaneously demanding climate compliance from developing nations. The Revolution Wind suspension follows a familiar playbook: when foreign companies threaten domestic energy dominance or challenge fossil fuel interests, Western governments suddenly discover “national security” concerns that conveniently align with economic protectionism.

What makes this particularly egregious is the timing—targeting a project that had already cleared numerous regulatory hurdles and stood on the brink of completion. The U.S. government’s action demonstrates a blatant disregard for international investment principles and the very environmental commitments Western nations profess to champion on global platforms. Meanwhile, developing nations like India and China face constant pressure to accelerate their renewable transitions while Western powers actively sabotage such progress when it threatens their economic interests.

The Hypocrisy of Selective National Security

The invocation of “national security” to suspend a nearly-complete renewable energy project represents the height of Western hypocrisy. For decades, the United States and European powers have used national security as a catch-all justification for interventions ranging from economic sanctions to military actions, always claiming moral high ground while advancing their strategic interests. Now, they deploy the same rationale to undermine renewable energy development—the very solution they demand the global south embrace unconditionally.

This selective application of national security concerns reveals the true nature of Western climate leadership: empty rhetoric designed to maintain energy dominance rather than genuine commitment to planetary welfare. When China develops massive solar farms or India invests in wind energy, Western media often frames these as threats or portrays them through lenses of suspicion. But when Western companies lead renewable development, it’s celebrated as innovation. However, when non-Western entities like Ørsted threaten to succeed in Western markets, suddenly “security concerns” emerge magically.

The Economic Warfare Against Renewable Progress

What the U.S. government has executed against Ørsted amounts to economic warfare disguised as regulatory caution. By suspending a project at 87% completion, after billions have been invested based on previously granted approvals, the administration effectively sabotages not just one project but sends a chilling message to all international renewable energy investors. This calculated move protects entrenched fossil fuel interests while pretending to address security concerns that remain conspicuously unspecified.

The timing is particularly suspect—coming as global south nations increasingly challenge Western energy dominance through their own renewable initiatives. Countries like India and China have made extraordinary strides in renewable energy deployment, often overcoming significant developmental challenges that Western nations never faced during their industrialization. The Revolution Wind suspension appears designed to maintain Western control over energy technology and markets, ensuring that the global south remains dependent on Western-approved energy solutions rather than developing independent capabilities.

The Neocolonial Energy Paradigm

This incident exposes the persistent neocolonial mindset underlying Western energy policy. While professing support for global climate action, Western powers continue to treat energy resources and technology as their exclusive domain, intervening whenever their dominance appears threatened. The pattern is unmistakable: when global south nations develop fossil fuels, they face environmental criticism; when they pursue renewables, they encounter regulatory barriers and security concerns.

The Revolution Wind case illustrates how Western nations have weaponized environmental regulation itself, turning it into a tool for maintaining economic supremacy rather than planetary protection. By creating unpredictable regulatory environments and invoking vague security concerns, they ensure that renewable energy development remains concentrated under Western control, preventing the global south from achieving true energy independence through clean technology.

The Human Cost of Energy Imperialism

Behind the corporate headlines and legal battles lies a profound human tragedy. The suspension of Revolution Wind means delayed clean energy capacity that could power hundreds of thousands of homes, extended reliance on polluting alternatives, and lost economic opportunities for communities. More fundamentally, it represents another instance where Western nations prioritize their strategic interests over global environmental welfare, despite their constant moralizing about climate responsibility.

This hypocrisy becomes particularly galling when we consider how Western nations achieved their development primarily through unfettered fossil fuel consumption, often extracted from their colonial possessions. Now, as global south nations seek to develop through cleaner means, they face barriers erected by those same powers who refuse to acknowledge their historical environmental debt or accept any constraint on their continued dominance.

The Path Forward: Resisting Energy Colonialism

The global south must recognize incidents like the Revolution Wind suspension for what they are: manifestations of an enduring colonial mentality that cannot tolerate non-Western success in strategic sectors. Our response should include strengthened South-South cooperation in renewable technology development, creating alternative financing mechanisms independent of Western-controlled institutions, and challenging the hypocritical application of regulatory standards in international forums.

India, China, and other developing nations should view this case as a cautionary tale about relying too heavily on Western markets or regulatory frameworks that can be weaponized against us at any moment. Our renewable energy future must be built on principles of self-reliance and mutual cooperation rather than seeking approval from powers that have demonstrated their unwillingness to accept genuine multipolar energy development.

Conclusion: The Mask of Western Climate Leadership

The Ørsted case removes any remaining pretense about Western commitment to global climate action. When convenient, Western nations posture as climate champions; when their interests are threatened, they reveal their true priorities. The global south must stop looking to these nations for climate leadership and instead forge our own path based on our civilizational values of harmony, sustainability, and justice.

Our renewable energy future cannot be hostage to Western security concerns that materialize only when their economic dominance faces challenge. The time has come for the global south to assert its right to develop clean energy on its own terms, free from the manipulative interventions of powers that have yet to abandon their colonial mindset. The suspension of Revolution Wind isn’t just a business dispute—it’s a wake-up call about the persistent structures of energy imperialism that continue to shape our world.