Judge Allows Ørsted to Resume Revolution Wind Construction

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled on Monday that Danish developer Ørsted can resume construction on its nearly completed Revolution Wind offshore project, rejecting the Trump administration's suspension of the work as arbitrary and capricious. The decision marks an early legal defeat for the administration's broader effort to halt offshore wind development in federal waters along the East Coast.

The Revolution Wind project, a joint venture between Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners, is located about 15 miles off the coasts of Rhode Island and Connecticut. Valued at around $6.2 billion, it is more than 80 percent complete and expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 700,000 homes once operational this year. Construction had been paused for a second time on December 22, when the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management suspended activity on five offshore wind leases, including Revolution Wind. The administration cited newly classified information from a November Pentagon assessment, which highlighted potential national security risks from radar interference caused by the projects' large turbine blades and reflective towers.