orsted Sues Trump Management Over Halt to Rhode island Wind Farm
PROVIDENCE, RI – August 30, 2024 – Danish energy company Orsted has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration today, seeking to overturn a recent order blocking the completion of the Revolution Wind offshore wind farm. The project, located off the coasts of Rhode Island and connecticut, is 80% complete and poised to power over 350,000 homes.
The Interior Department issued the unexpected stop-work order on August 22nd, bringing construction to a halt despite the project being fully permitted. Orsted is arguing the order is “unlawful” and “issued in bad faith” in a complaint filed wiht the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) cited national security concerns and potential interference with other uses of U.S.territorial waters as justification for the halt. However,Orsted contends this reasoning is a pretext,pointing to President Trump’s documented history of opposition to wind power spanning over a decade.
“The President has apparent hostility towards offshore wind, including based on statements made on the campaign trail,” Orsted’s attorney stated in court filings.
The Revolution Wind project has undergone nearly a decade of rigorous environmental and safety reviews, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. According to Orsted, federal agencies have consistently concluded, based on extensive data, that the project is “environmentally sound, safe and consistent with federal law.”
The lawsuit comes amidst a broader escalation of attacks on the renewable energy industry by the Trump administration. Just two days before the Revolution Wind order, President Trump announced his administration “woudl not approve solar and wind power projects.” On Friday, the administration also canceled $679 million in funding allocated to a dozen infrastructure projects supporting the offshore wind industry.
The stop-work order caused Orsted shares to plummet to a record low on August 25th. The outcome of this lawsuit will have meaningful implications for the future of offshore wind development in the United States.