Judge Revives Orsted NY Offshore Wind Project Halted by Trump

A US judge has ruled that a wind farm developed by Orsted A/S on New York’s Long Island can continue work halted by the federal government; It was the fifth such court victory for an industry that President Donald Trump has sought to cripple.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth said Monday that the Sunrise Wind project, which is losing $2.5 million a day while idle, will be “damaged beyond repair” if work is not allowed to continue amid the legal battle. Orsted said it spent $7 billion on the development, which is 45% complete.

Lamberth granted Denmark-based Orsted’s request for an injunction blocking the stop-work order, saying the Trump administration’s decision was likely arbitrary and capricious. Last month, the same Washington-based judge allowed Orsted to continue developing the Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island.

Orsted’s wind farms and three others on the US east coast were shut down by the Department of the Interior on December 22. The ministry claimed that the projects posed a national security risk but did not disclose it. Dominion Energy Inc. and all five, including those owned by Equinor ASA, have so far prevailed in legal battles.

Despite the setbacks, Trump’s attacks have led to a significant setback to US offshore development plans supported by the Biden administration, which aims to bring more than 30 gigawatts of capacity online by 2030. Currently, only a fifth of that amount is likely to be built, according to BloombergNEF.

When completed next year, Sunrise Wind’s turbines will provide enough energy to power more than 600,000 homes in New York City.

Developers of offshore wind projects said they lost millions of dollars due to work stoppages and delays.

Sunrise Wind v. Burgum, 26-cv-28, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia.

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