Europe's largest offshore wind developer is suing the Trump administration over its decision to halt work on a $5 billion project on the US northeast coast.
Denmark's Oersted filed a lawsuit Thursday against the White House's decision 10 days ago to suspend leases at the Revolution Wind facility in a sweeping move. stopping all offshore wind farm construction.
The injunction attempt is the latest in a series of legal battles between the renewable energy industry and Donald Trumpwhose administration sought to block the implementation of large offshore wind projects after his re-election.
Trump, eh active supporter of the fossil fuel industryopposes renewable energy and wind in particular, stating that he believes turbines are ugly, expensive and inefficient.
On Dec. 22, Interior Department officials suspended leases for five major offshore wind projects being built in U.S. waters due to unspecified “national security risks.”
Statement from Oersted and its partner in the Revolution project, Skyborn Renewables, called this move a violation of current legislation.
“The lawsuit is a necessary step to protect the rights of the project” and prevent “substantial harm” to the project if the stay order remains in place, the statement said.
“Revolution Wind received all required federal and state permits in 2023 following extensive reviews that began more than nine years ago,” the release said.
The move comes months after the Trump administration released “stop work order” against the construction of the Revolution project in August, citing the need to “address issues related to the protection of national security interests.”
The halt in construction caused a shock in the industry and pushed market value of Ørstedwhich is partly owned by the Danish state, has reached a record low. The White House did not provide any details about national security issues, and a few weeks later a federal judge allowed Oersted to resume work on the project.
At that time Sheldon Whitehouse Rhode Island The senator and ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said: “If Trump's plan is to raise energy prices for families, kill American jobs, worsen climate change and accelerate the Great Climate Insurance Crisis, he knocks it out of the park with his all-out attack on America's offshore wind industry.”
Construction is now nearly 90% complete, and the facility was expected to begin delivering “reliable, affordable power” to US homes in 2026. Ørsted said he has already installed all the offshore foundations and 58 of the project's 65 wind turbines.
Ørsted shares, which had fallen a further 12% since the Dec. 22 announcement, rose nearly 4% on Friday on news of the ruling.
