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Denmark-based energy developer Ørsted announced today that its Revolution Wind joint venture with Skyborn Renewables […]]
Ørsted Challenges Trump Administration Order to Halt $5 Billion Offshore Wind Project Weeks Before Entering into Service – ESG Today
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Ørsted Challenges Trump Administration Order to Halt $5 Billion Offshore Wind Project Weeks Before Entering into Service
Mark Segal
January 2, 2026
Denmark-based energy developer Ørsted announced today that its Revolution Wind joint venture with Skyborn Renewables has filed a complaint in a U.S. District Court challenging an order by the Trump administration’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to halt work on the nearly complete multi-billion dollar offshore wind project off the coast of Rhode Island, only weeks before it was expected to begin providing power.
Skyborn Renewables is owned by BlackRock’s infrastructure investment unit Global Infrastructure Partners.
The work stoppage order formed part of an announced pause by the Trump administration in December of the leases for all large-scale offshore wind projects under construction in the U.S., citing “national security risks” potentially resulting from the projects. The orders will freeze the development of five major projects along the U.S. east coast, representing nearly 6 GW of energy, that were set to enter commercial operation over the next 2 years.
Ørsted’s challenge follows a similar lawsuit launched by Dominion Energy, the developer of the largest of the paused projects, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW), which rejected the administration’s national security justification for the order, and suggested instead that it stemmed from an “unfounded animus” by the administration against wind energy.
The government order forms the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to stop the development of renewable energy projects, starting with a Presidential Memorandum signed by Trump on his first day in office, indefinitely halting all federal approvals for wind energy projects. The order was recently struck down by a U.S. federal court, which ruled that it was “arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law.”
The suspension order also marks the second attempt by the administration to stop the Revolution Wind project, following an order in August 2025 by BOEM to halt the construction of the project, which was overturned in September by a federal court. In its court filings challenging the first order, Ørsted stated that approximately $5 billion had already been spent or committed to the offshore wind project.
In a statement announcing the court challenge, Ørsted noted that the project secured all required federal and state permits in 2023, including engaging “in years-long consultation with the U.S Department of Defense [War] Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse to address potential impacts to national security and defense capabilities,” which led to “a fully executed formal agreement between the Department of War, the Department of the Air Force, and Revolution Wind outlining mitigation measures by the Project,” and that the project received approvals from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, and other agencies.
The company added:
“Revolution Wind has spent and committed billions of dollars in reliance upon, and has met the requests of, a thorough review process.”
Construction on the Revolution Wind project began in 2023, and the project is now 87% complete, according to Ørsted. The 704 MW project is expected to provide power to more than 350,000 homes in 2026 through 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with utilities in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Ørsted stated that the project was expected to begin generating power as soon as January 2026, prior to the new suspension order.
Ørsted is also the owner of the Sunrise Wind project off the coast of New York, which has also been paused by the BOEM order. The company said that it is also considering legal proceedings as part of its options to address the suspension of that project as well.
Mark founded ESG Today following a 20 year career in investment management and research. Prior to founding ESG Today, Mark worked at Delaney Capital Management (DCM) in Toronto, Canada, most recently as the firm’s head of U.S. equities. While at DCM, Mark was part of the firm’s ESG team, responsible for evaluating and tracking the sustainability factors impacting portfolio companies, and assessing the suitability of companies for portfolio inclusion. Mark also spent several years in the sell-side research industry, covering the technology and services sectors. Mark holds an MBA from Columbia University in New York, a BBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto, and is a CFA charterholder.
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