TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné (L) and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum sign the agreement at the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston on March 23, 2026. John Haughey/The Epoch Times
HOUSTON—A global energy corporation based in France has ceded leases off North Carolina and New York, where it planned to spend nearly $1 billion to build offshore wind turbines, back to the U.S. Department of the Interior and will instead redirect that investment into natural gas projects in Texas.
The “landmark agreement” was jointly announced by the department and TotalEnergies in Washington on March 23 and confirmed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné during a press conference at the 44th annual CERAWeek by S&P Global conference at the Hilton Americas-Houston.
