Developers Sue to Resume East Coast Offshore Wind Projects After Federal Work Halt

Developers of five East Coast offshore wind farms ordered last week to halt work by the Interior Department have filed lawsuits seeking to restart construction on at least three projects. The Interior order, issued on Dec. 22 and citing unspecified national security concerns, covered Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind off New York; Revolution Wind off Rhode Island and Connecticut; Vineyard Wind 1 off Massachusetts; and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind.

The companies say the suspensions are unlawful and were not meaningfully explained. Orsted filed suit in federal court in Washington seeking a preliminary injunction to allow work to continue on Revolution Wind; Equinor filed a similar complaint for Empire Wind. Orsted said it is also considering legal action to restart Sunrise Wind.

Dominion Energy filed the first challenge on Dec. 23 over the Coastal Virginia project, alleging “immediate, irreparable harm” and about $5 million in losses per day; a hearing is set for Jan. 9. Avangrid, developer of Vineyard Wind 1, has not said whether it will sue. Companies noted that their projects underwent lengthy federal reviews under the prior administration and received permits after national security concerns were addressed.

Equinor’s suit says the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ordered a halt “with no meaningful explanation or attempt to first engage Empire Wind,” and accused the government of relying on a classified report while offering no public justification.

Key Topics

Politics, Orsted, Equinor, Dominion Energy, Revolution Wind, Empire Wind