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Released September 24, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--In the latest development in President Donald Trump's battle against offshore wind projects, a judge has lifted the stop-work order for the construction of the Revolution windfarm off the coast of Rhode Island, which was 80% complete at the time of the administration's directive.
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued the stop-work order on August 22, stating the government needed to review the project to "address concerns related to the protection of national security interests of the United States," without elaborating on what those concerns might be. At the time, the windfarm, located 15 miles from Rhode Island and 32 miles from Connecticut, the two states where it was expected to provide enough power for approximately 350,000 homes, was 80% complete, with 45 of 65 turbines in place.
The attorneys general for Rhode Island and Connecticut filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's order in a federal court in Rhode Island, while the Revolution project's developers, Orsted (Fredericia, Denmark) and joint venture partner Skyborn Renewables (Hamburg, Germany) filed a similar lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It is from the developers' suit in D.C. that U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued the ruling that the stop-work order be lifted.
While much of the media is focused on the repeal of the order, the judge's injunction is only temporary and will remain effect while the underlying lawsuit challenging the administration is decided. Lambeth said the project and companies would likely suffer irreparable harm if the project isn't allowed to continue as the lawsuit plays out. Orsted said it would resume construction "as soon as possible." Considerations in Lambeth's ruling include the 1,000 people who have worked on the project and that the specialized installation ship being used in the project wouldn't be available again until at least 2028 after December of this year. Lambeth also noted the delays are costing Orsted and Skyborn $2.3 million per day, stating, "There is no question in my mind of irreparable harm to the plaintiffs."
Trump's actions, not only for this specific project, but also offshore wind in general, have wreaked havoc on Orsted's finances. The company's shares fell 16% after the stop-work order was issued and have fallen more than 22% since Trump took office. In addition, following lower-than-normal offshore wind speeds in July and August, Orsted reduced its full-year operating profit forecast. Earlier this month, shareholders approved a rights issue (the right to purchase shares at a discounted price) to inject 60 billion Danish krone (US$9.48 billion) into the company. Shares of Orsted rose 7% on news of the judge allowing work at the Revolution project to resume.
While much of media focuses on the effects the administration's moves have on the developers' finances, not much is said of how these companies represent large investments for their home-country governments. Orsted is 50.1% owned by Danish government, while Norway's Equinor (Stavanger), another developer affected earlier in the year by a similar directive, is 67% government-owned.
An April stop-work order on Equinor's Empire 1 offshore windfarm ended up costing the company US$955 million before the order was rescinded and work could resume in May. Further muddying the waters of private enterprise and sovereign nations is that Equinor purchased a 9.8% stake in Orsted last October, so Equinor (and thus indirectly the Norwegian government) are linked to the Danish's company's successes and failures. Equinor pledged a nearly US$1 billion injection of capital into Orsted during that company's rights issue earlier this month.
While the stop-work order was lifted for the Equinor project and Orsted is hoping to finish its Revolution project, the fates of other U.S. offshore windfarms remain in limbo. After stating it would review the permitting for US Wind's (Baltimore, Maryland) 2.2-gigawatt (GW) development off the Maryland coast, the administration took official measures this month to formally revoke construction permissions. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.
Other targeted offshore windfarms include the SouthCoast Wind development off the Massachusetts coast, the permitting of which the administration said it would begin reviewing this month. The windfarm is being developed by Ocean Winds North America (Boston, Massachusetts), a joint venture of EDP Renewables (Houston, Texas) and ENGIE (La Defense, France). Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.
Earlier this year, after having its clean air permit remanded, the developer of the 1.5-GW Atlantic Shores windfarm off the New Jersey coast, a joint venture of Shell (London, England) and EDP Renewables (Houston, Texas), petitioned New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities to terminate the project's offshore renewable energy credits and release it from all associated obligations. While the project hasn't officially been cancelled, it is on ice at present, with Shell and EDP taking impairment charges of $1 billion and $980 billion, respectively, on the project. Subscribers can click here for the related project reports.
Media outlet jumped on Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's remarks at a conference in Italy earlier this month that, "Under this administration, there is not a future for offshore wind because it is too expensive and not reliable enough," and that five offshore wind projects under construction were being reviewed. While some of those projects have already been challenged by the administration, developers of other projects are almost certainly shifting into a defensive position. While Bergum didn't specify exactly which windfarms would be under review, developments under construction include Dominion Energy's (Richmond, Virginia) 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, offshore construction of which commenced in early 2024 (see project report) and another Orsted project, the 880-MW Sunrise project off the coast of Long Island, construction of which also began last year (see project report.)
While the Trump administration has brought unnecessary costs and uncertainty to offshore wind projects that are already under construction, it has yet to permanently stop one on which substantial work has commenced.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued the stop-work order on August 22, stating the government needed to review the project to "address concerns related to the protection of national security interests of the United States," without elaborating on what those concerns might be. At the time, the windfarm, located 15 miles from Rhode Island and 32 miles from Connecticut, the two states where it was expected to provide enough power for approximately 350,000 homes, was 80% complete, with 45 of 65 turbines in place.
The attorneys general for Rhode Island and Connecticut filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's order in a federal court in Rhode Island, while the Revolution project's developers, Orsted (Fredericia, Denmark) and joint venture partner Skyborn Renewables (Hamburg, Germany) filed a similar lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It is from the developers' suit in D.C. that U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued the ruling that the stop-work order be lifted.
While much of the media is focused on the repeal of the order, the judge's injunction is only temporary and will remain effect while the underlying lawsuit challenging the administration is decided. Lambeth said the project and companies would likely suffer irreparable harm if the project isn't allowed to continue as the lawsuit plays out. Orsted said it would resume construction "as soon as possible." Considerations in Lambeth's ruling include the 1,000 people who have worked on the project and that the specialized installation ship being used in the project wouldn't be available again until at least 2028 after December of this year. Lambeth also noted the delays are costing Orsted and Skyborn $2.3 million per day, stating, "There is no question in my mind of irreparable harm to the plaintiffs."
Trump's actions, not only for this specific project, but also offshore wind in general, have wreaked havoc on Orsted's finances. The company's shares fell 16% after the stop-work order was issued and have fallen more than 22% since Trump took office. In addition, following lower-than-normal offshore wind speeds in July and August, Orsted reduced its full-year operating profit forecast. Earlier this month, shareholders approved a rights issue (the right to purchase shares at a discounted price) to inject 60 billion Danish krone (US$9.48 billion) into the company. Shares of Orsted rose 7% on news of the judge allowing work at the Revolution project to resume.
While much of media focuses on the effects the administration's moves have on the developers' finances, not much is said of how these companies represent large investments for their home-country governments. Orsted is 50.1% owned by Danish government, while Norway's Equinor (Stavanger), another developer affected earlier in the year by a similar directive, is 67% government-owned.
An April stop-work order on Equinor's Empire 1 offshore windfarm ended up costing the company US$955 million before the order was rescinded and work could resume in May. Further muddying the waters of private enterprise and sovereign nations is that Equinor purchased a 9.8% stake in Orsted last October, so Equinor (and thus indirectly the Norwegian government) are linked to the Danish's company's successes and failures. Equinor pledged a nearly US$1 billion injection of capital into Orsted during that company's rights issue earlier this month.
While the stop-work order was lifted for the Equinor project and Orsted is hoping to finish its Revolution project, the fates of other U.S. offshore windfarms remain in limbo. After stating it would review the permitting for US Wind's (Baltimore, Maryland) 2.2-gigawatt (GW) development off the Maryland coast, the administration took official measures this month to formally revoke construction permissions. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.
Other targeted offshore windfarms include the SouthCoast Wind development off the Massachusetts coast, the permitting of which the administration said it would begin reviewing this month. The windfarm is being developed by Ocean Winds North America (Boston, Massachusetts), a joint venture of EDP Renewables (Houston, Texas) and ENGIE (La Defense, France). Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.
Earlier this year, after having its clean air permit remanded, the developer of the 1.5-GW Atlantic Shores windfarm off the New Jersey coast, a joint venture of Shell (London, England) and EDP Renewables (Houston, Texas), petitioned New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities to terminate the project's offshore renewable energy credits and release it from all associated obligations. While the project hasn't officially been cancelled, it is on ice at present, with Shell and EDP taking impairment charges of $1 billion and $980 billion, respectively, on the project. Subscribers can click here for the related project reports.
Media outlet jumped on Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's remarks at a conference in Italy earlier this month that, "Under this administration, there is not a future for offshore wind because it is too expensive and not reliable enough," and that five offshore wind projects under construction were being reviewed. While some of those projects have already been challenged by the administration, developers of other projects are almost certainly shifting into a defensive position. While Bergum didn't specify exactly which windfarms would be under review, developments under construction include Dominion Energy's (Richmond, Virginia) 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, offshore construction of which commenced in early 2024 (see project report) and another Orsted project, the 880-MW Sunrise project off the coast of Long Island, construction of which also began last year (see project report.)
While the Trump administration has brought unnecessary costs and uncertainty to offshore wind projects that are already under construction, it has yet to permanently stop one on which substantial work has commenced.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
