Judge over-rules Trump in latest US offshore wind act

Revolution Wind, a 700MW site off the northeast coast of the United States that is planned to supply power to Rhote Island and Connecticut, was issued with a construction pause and lease suspension on December 22, 2025.

The suspension was issued even though Revolution Wind, which is being developed by Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables, is 87% complete.

On January 12, a judge in a Washington, DC court overturned the action, calling it ’arbritrary and capricious’ because there was no explanation as to why the action was necessary.

The pause also failed to acknowledge ‘the reliant interests of states and developers who have invested billions and executed a power purchase agreement to deliver much-needed power to the region’, said the Oceantic Network, a non-profit industry organisation focused on advancing offshore wind and broader marine renewable energy development and its supply chain.

“Today’s court ruling safeguards Americans from the crisis of rising energy demand and costs and ensures the US can compete on a global stage for the digital evolution,” said Oceantic CEO Liz Burdock.

The other four projects – Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, by Dominion Energy; Sunrise Wind, by Ørsted; Vineyard Wind 1, by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid; and Empire Wind 1, by Equinor – are still on hold, which means more than 5GW of potential power is in abeyance.

According to Burdock, the five projects would have powered 2.5 million homes and supported around 12,000 American jobs.

“Stopping these projects means $30 billion of fully permitted economic activity has been paused and threatens more than $11 billion in supply chain assets that have spun up to support construction,” she said.    

“Construction of these projects has sparked more than 1,000 supply chain contracts to 675 unique American businesses across 41 states, spanning domestic shipyards, upgraded ports, and a massive resurgence in American steel. More than 24% are coming from Gulf suppliers.    

“Building and maintaining these projects has initiated at least 40 new vessel orders or specialized retrofits, totaling nearly $2 billion in steel and shipyard activity.”