Offshore wind won a battle in its struggle with the Trump administration. A federal judge on September 22 ruled that the Revolution Wind project off the coast of New England could proceed, blocking the federal government’s enforcement of a stop work order.
The project by the Danish Energy company Orsted was said to be 80% complete when the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued an order to Orsted to halt construction on August 22. Orsted and its partner Skyborn Renewables filed a lawsuit arguing that the Interior Department’s order to stop construction was arbitrary, capricious, unlawful and “issued in bad faith.” Federal Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia Court issued a temporary injunction to allow work to restart. The wind farm area is off the Rhode Island and Connecticut coasts.
This is one of the few significant setbacks for the Trump administration effort to terminate all offshore wind activity and essentially shut down the industry. The federal government can appeal the injunction.
Meanwhile Orsted, well known to Cape May County residents as the developer of Ocean Wind I and II before withdrawing in October 2023, said it will “resume impacted construction work as soon as possible.” Revolution Wind will produce sufficient power for 350,000 homes according to the project goals.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said he is taking a hard look at five other offshore wind projects under construction. Just two weeks ago, Burgum told an audience in Italy that “there is not a future for offshore wind because it is too expensive and not reliable enough.”
The injunction is preliminary and the underlying lawsuit will continue. Industry watchers will be looking to see if this is just a temporary setback for the Trump administration or if it is the beginning of a rebound for a badly damaged industry.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
