By Mike Schuler, gCaptain
Connecticut and Rhode Island attorneys general have escalated their legal fight against the Trump administration’s abrupt halt to the Revolution Wind offshore energy project, filing for a preliminary injunction to immediately block what they describe as a “baseless stop work order” issued last month.
Attorney General William Tong of Connecticut and Attorney General Peter Neronha of Rhode Island initially sued on September 4 in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, seeking to overturn the administration’s directive. Their recent filing outlines what they characterize as “immediate and irreparable harm” to Connecticut and requests judicial intervention to allow construction to resume while the case proceeds.
Related:
US halt on Rhode Island offshore wind project is unjustified, developer says (Reuters)
Proposed Cuts to Wind Energy Undermine Investment Certainty across Sectors (National Law Review)
Meet the New England anti-wind group aligning with Trump (EE News)
Located fifteen nautical miles off Rhode Island’s coast, Revolution Wind had reached approximately 80% completion with all foundations installed and 45 of 65 planned wind turbines already in place. The project is expected to deliver enough electricity to power 350,000 homes, representing 2.5 percent of New England’s electricity supply beginning in 2026.
Revolution Wind, a 50/50 joint venture between Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partner’s Skyborn Renewables, had received full regulatory approvals following a nine-year review process, including its Construction and Operations Plan approval in November 2023. The project secured 20-year power purchase agreements to deliver 400 MW to Rhode Island and 304 MW to Connecticut.
This week, the administration asked a judge to deny Revolution Wind’s request for a preliminary injunction, arguing the company “didn’t include enough detail about the expected breakaway costs or other construction deadlines to justify an ‘extraordinary’ injunction.” The government further stated, “With respect to the $5 billion figure, Revolution Wind has not explained how lack of money already spent would threaten the future viability of its business.”
Ørsted CFO Trond Westlie maintained that restarting the project remains a priority: “Our goal is to get back to work on Revolution Wind as soon as possible. And we work in multiple tracks to make that happen.”
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