Judges allow work to resume on three East Coast offshore wind projects

Federal judges have allowed construction to restart on three East Coast offshore wind farms after the Department of the Interior ordered a halt to five projects in December, citing national security concerns. The judicial orders clear Revolution Wind off Rhode Island, Empire Wind off New York, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind to resume work.

The Interior’s stop-work order covered five projects totaling 6 gigawatts of generating capacity and had been effective for 90 days. Developers sued shortly after the order, which the government said was issued over concerns the farms would interfere with radar operations. The source notes that siting choices and radar upgrades can reduce turbine-related radar noise.

Judges in Virginia and Washington, DC, expressed skepticism of the government’s reasoning during early hearings. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols said the government failed to address several arguments from plaintiff Equinor, which had called the order “arbitrary and capricious,” and remarked, “Your brief doesn’t even include the word arbitrary,” according to the Associated Press.

U.S. District Judge Jamar Walker raised similar questions and called the Interior order overly broad in the Virginia case. Two projects remain in limbo as their lawsuits proceed: Ørsted’s Sunrise Wind has a hearing scheduled for February 2, and Vineyard Wind 1’s developers filed a lawsuit on Thursday.

Key Topics

Business, Offshore Wind, Empire Wind, Revolution Wind, Equinor