A federal judge has allowed Danish developer Ørsted to restart work on the nearly finished Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island, overturning a pause ordered last month. The decision by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth is viewed as a legal setback for President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb offshore wind expansion. Government attorneys had cited newly disclosed, classified information about national security when defending the pause, but those details were not made public. The ruling clears the way for construction to continue and may influence future reviews of similar federal pauses.
Judge Allows Ørsted To Resume Work On Nearly Finished Revolution Wind Off Rhode Island
A view shows the logo of the company Orsted at its offices in Gentofte, Denmark September 5, 2025. REUTERS/ Tom Little
Jan 12 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday cleared Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted to resume work on the nearly finished Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island, reversing a pause ordered last month by the U.S. administration that affected four offshore wind projects.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that Ørsted may continue construction and related activities on the project, delivering a legal setback to President Donald Trump’s effort to limit the expansion of offshore wind in federal waters.
Government lawyers had defended the earlier pause by citing newly disclosed, classified information they said raised national security concerns about offshore wind development. The details of that information remain classified and were not disclosed in the public ruling.
The decision allows work to proceed on a project that has been described as nearly complete, helping preserve construction timelines and jobs tied to the Rhode Island offshore wind initiative. Observers say the ruling could shape how courts review executive actions that pause energy projects on national security grounds.
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington and Nichola Groom in Los Angeles; Editing by Nia Williams)
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