Orsted’s Revolution Wind Sues Trump Administration Over Project Halt

COPENHAGEN, Sept 4 (Reuters) – Denmark’s Orsted and its joint venture partner Skyborn Renewables have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging its decision to block construction of the Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island is unlawful, a court filing showed on Thursday.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management gave Revolution Wind a stop-work order last month, citing unspecified national security concerns, forcing the suspension of a project that was 80% complete with all offshore foundations in place and 45 out of 65 wind turbines installed.

“The stop-work order was issued without statutory authority, lacks any evidentiary basis, and is unlawful,” the court filing said.

An Interior Department spokesperson said the agency would not comment on the litigation.

Revolution Wind, a 50/50 joint venture between wind developer Orsted and Skyborn Renewables, said it had already spent about $5 billion on the project, and that it will incur costs of another $1 billion if the stop-work order remains in place.

Orsted and Skyborn warned of potential delays, citing limited availability of specialized vessels required for offshore wind construction.

If the vessels depart due to the stoppage, the project would likely be delayed by at least a year, or even be at risk of cancellation, the filing said.

Trump has repeatedly criticized wind energy as ugly, unreliable, and expensive, and his administration has taken steps to rein in wind development.

BOEM also halted a neighboring project owned by Norwegian energy firm Equinor EQNR.OL in April, although the order was later lifted after diplomatic efforts by Norway’s government.

Revolution Wind was scheduled to be completed next year, and was expected to produce enough electricity to power 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

The timing of the halt to Revolution Wind is particularly damaging for Orsted, which announced last month a plan to raise 60 billion Danish crowns ($9.41 billion) through a rights issue.

($1 = 6.3751 Danish crowns)

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, editing by Terje Solsvik; Additional reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Jan Harvey)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025.

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