Federal judge rules Trump cannot block Ørsted’s Revolution Wind project

Image courtesy of Orsted

A federal judge in the US has ruled that Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted can restart the nearly-complete Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island.

The decision comes after Revolution Wind sought a temporary injunction to lift a stop-work order, after work was halted on 22 August.

Ørsted has been losing £2 million a day since the decision, as the Trump administration seeks to block expansion of offshore wind in US waters.

Attorneys for the Trump administration claimed the project failed to comply with conditions of its permit related to conflicts with national security and scientific ocean surveys.

Revolution Wind disputed those claims. US District Judge Royce Lamberth issued a preliminary injunction that blocks the Trump administration from enforcing an order to halt construction, following a two-hour hearing in Washington yesterday (22 September).

“If Revolution Wind cannot meet benchmark deadlines, the entire project could collapse,” Lamberth said. “There is no doubt in my mind of irreparable harm to the plaintiffs.”

“Revolution Wind will resume impacted construction work as soon as possible, with safety as the top priority,” an Ørsted spokesperson said in a statement, adding that it would continue to seek a resolution with the administration.

Revolution Wind sits 15 miles off the coast south of Nantucket and once complete is expected to produce enough electricity to power 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Reuters quoted a US Interior Department spokesman, who said, “As a result of the Court’s decision today, Revolution Wind will be able to resume construction as BOEM (the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) continues its investigation into possible impacts by the project to national security and prevention of other uses on the Outer Continental Shelf.”

The states of Rhode Island and Connecticut have also sued the federal government over the stop-work order.