Engie is in talks with the Trump administration to forfeit its U.S. offshore wind leases in exchange for a refund, following a nearly $1 billion deal secured by TotalEnergies last year. The move comes amid a broader trend of developers seeking buyback agreements as federal policy shifts threaten project certainty. The administration has repeatedly frozen new leases, halted construction on in‑progress farms, rolled back tax credits and attempted to rescind key permits. Federal judges have struck down several of these efforts, but the current strategy is to pay developers to walk away, a tactic that has already prompted Engie to consider a similar exit. Engie CEO Catherine MacGregor disclosed the development on April 21, a month after the French oil giant TotalEnergies struck a similar deal for nearly $1 billion with the U.S. Department of the Interior. "Discussions are ongoing, and we'll see if an agreement is possible," MacGregor told reporters at a press meeting in Paris. "Economically and also in terms of public acceptance, I strongly believe in offshore wind power," she added. However, "One must be able to say that energy policy is stable enough whatever the political color of the government" to continue investing in the clean energy resource. Engie 's joint venture, Ocean Winds , had previously bid about $1 billion for three lease areas off California, Massachusetts and New York, where it planned to build 6.8 GW of turbines. In contrast, TotalEnergies received a reimbursement of nearly $1 billion for lease fees paid in 2022 for New York and North Carolina, in exchange for abandoning U.S. offshore wind development and investing in domestic fossil‑fuel projects. The Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has awarded almost three dozen leases since July 2013, netting roughly $6 billion in lease fees. Rob Freudenberg, vice president of energy and environment at Regional Plan Association, noted that "The problem with developing offshore wind in federal waters is that you need the federal government to be on board." He added, "If you're a company responsible to shareholders, and you have money sunk into something that you're not going to be able to move on anytime soon — and the federal government is looking to buy you out — I can understand why a business decision might lead you to pull out," calling the development "unfortunate." Tony Irish, a former attorney in Interior's Office of the Solicitor, described the Engie news as "surprising" given the scrutiny surrounding the TotalEnergies agreement. "I simply advise anyone who is contemplating such an agreement with the department to tread carefully, because there is vigorous interest in what is going on," Irish said, adding that there is "a desire to both get to the bottom of it and take accountability, whether that is now or sometime in 2029" under the next administration. Analysts expect more leaseholders to explore buyback deals, and state governments may step in to streamline permitting and support wind projects while the federal pause continues. If the industry can weather the current obstruction, the states have an important role in signaling continued support for offshore wind, Freudenberg added, suggesting a delayed but ultimately viable future for U.S. offshore development.