Three major developers — Ørsted, Equinor and Dominion Energy Virginia — sued to overturn a Dec. 22 Trump administration order pausing five East Coast offshore wind projects over unspecified national security concerns. Hearings are scheduled this week for Ørsted’s Revolution Wind (Monday), Equinor’s Empire Wind (Wednesday) and Dominion’s Coastal Virginia project (Friday). Developers warn the freeze could derail tightly timed construction schedules and even lead to project termination; the administration has not publicly explained its security rationale.
Offshore Wind Developers Sue to Block Trump Administration’s Freeze That Threatens Five East Coast Projects
FILE - Wind turbine bases, generators and blades sit along with support ships at The Portsmouth Marine terminal that is the staging area for Dominion Energy Virginia, which is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Dec. 22, 2025, in Portsmouth, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Three major offshore wind developers have gone to court this week challenging a Dec. 22 Trump administration order that paused five large East Coast projects, citing unspecified national security concerns.
FILE - The logo for the Danish company Orsted is displayed on the exterior of the Avedore Power Station in Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Aug. 19, 2025. (Sebastian Elias Uth/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ørsted (Denmark), Equinor (Norway) and Dominion Energy Virginia each filed suits asking judges to vacate the administration’s order. Ørsted’s hearing over its Revolution Wind project — being built with partner Skyborn Renewables to supply power to Rhode Island and Connecticut — is scheduled for Monday, Equinor’s Empire Wind hearing is set for Wednesday, and Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind hearing is slated for Friday.
FILE - A sign for the company Equinor is displayed on Oct. 28, 2020, in Fornebu, Norway. (Håkon Mosvold Larsen/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The administration has not publicly detailed the national security rationale for the pause. Speaking at a meeting with oil industry executives, President Donald Trump reiterated his opposition to offshore wind development, calling wind farms “losers” and saying he would not approve windmills in the United States.
FILE - Wind turbine bases, generators and blades sit at The Portsmouth Marine terminal that is the staging area for Dominion Energy Virginia, which is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Dec. 22, 2025, in Portsmouth, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
“I’ve told my people we will not approve windmills,” Trump said. He added that wind projects “lose money, destroy the landscape and kill birds.”
Developers and state officials say the freeze puts tightly scheduled construction plans at risk. Empire Wind LLC said the project faces “likely termination” if work cannot resume by Friday because the pause interrupts a carefully timed construction calendar that depends on vessels and crews with limited availability. Rhode Island and Connecticut have also sought court intervention to protect progress on Revolution Wind.
Dominion’s lawsuit — filed first — asks a judge to block the Dec. 22 order as “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional. New York’s attorney general additionally sued the administration on Friday over the suspension of Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind.
The Biden administration had pushed to expand offshore wind as part of its climate strategy; the current administration’s pause represents a sharp policy shift that could delay the industry’s near-term growth on the U.S. East Coast. Company executives say federal officials have not provided specific explanations or suggested mitigation steps to address whatever security concerns are cited.
Why it matters: The litigation will determine whether large, in-progress offshore wind projects can continue construction. The outcome could affect jobs, supply chains and state clean-energy targets that rely on those projects for new generating capacity.
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