Key Points
- A federal judge has allowed Orsted to resume work on its Revolution Wind project.
- The Trump administration had halted the project last month, citing national security concerns.
- The judge said the halt would cause “irreparable harm” to Orsted, costing $1.5 million a day.
- The project is 87% complete and is expected to start generating power this year.
A federal judge has given the green light to Danish wind developer Orsted to restart construction on its nearly completed Revolution Wind project. The Trump administration had abruptly halted the project last month, along with four others, citing national security concerns. The ruling is a significant legal defeat for President Trump, who has been actively trying to block the expansion of offshore wind power.
The judge, Royce Lamberth, rejected the administration’s argument that the pause was justified. He noted that stopping the project would cause “irreparable harm” to Orsted, costing the company about $1.5 million a day. “You want to stop everything in place… while you decide what you want to do?” he asked the government’s lawyer during the hearing.
This is the second time in four months that Orsted has had to go to court to get a stop-work order from the government reversed. The lawsuit is one of several filed by offshore wind companies and states seeking to challenge the Interior Department’s suspension of their leases.
The government claimed that new, classified information from the Defense Department about how wind turbines interfere with radar justified the pause.
However, the judge seemed skeptical of their motives. He noted that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has publicly criticized offshore wind on grounds unrelated to national security, calling it expensive, unreliable, and harmful to marine life.
The Revolution Wind project is about 87% complete and is expected to start generating power this year. Orsted said it will resume work as soon as possible, even as its lawsuit against the administration continues. This legal battle is far from over, but for now, the wind turbines will keep spinning.
