US District Judge Royce Lamberth on 13/1 allowed Danish offshore wind developer Orsted to continue with its Revolution Wind mega-project. The project is approximately 87% complete and is expected to begin generating electricity this year. This ruling marks a legal setback for the administration of US President Donald Trump, who has consistently sought to block the expansion of offshore wind power in federal waters. This is the second time in four months that the project developer has secured a court ruling to prevent a government-ordered construction halt.

Turbine blades and other components for the Revolution Wind offshore wind farm construction are stored at State Pier in New London, Connecticut, US, 23/9/2025. *Reuters*.

Government lawyers argued that the suspension was justified based on classified information regarding the impact of offshore wind on national security. The Department of Defense had reportedly revealed this information to the Department of the Interior last November. However, Judge Lamberth rejected the use of national security concerns to justify the project's suspension, noting that the project could suffer irreparable harm if the injunction was maintained.

"You want to stop everything, costing them USD 1,5 million daily, just to have time to decide what you want to do?" Judge Lamberth questioned Department of Justice lawyers during the hearing. Lamberth also expressed concern about recent criticisms of offshore wind by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, citing reasons unrelated to national security. In television interviews late last December, Burgum had stated that offshore wind is expensive, unreliable, reliant on foreign-made equipment, and harmful to marine life.

Revolution Wind attorney Janice Schneider argued that the government's suspension violated federal administrative procedure law and due process rights. Schneider added that the project developer was unable to review the classified assessment of this energy type cited by the government. The Department of the Interior has not commented following the ruling.

Offshore wind developers, including Orsted, have repeatedly been forced to halt multi-billion dollar projects under President Trump, who deemed wind turbines "ugly, expensive, and inefficient." Revolution Wind LLC is a joint venture between Orsted and Skyborn Renewables of Global Infrastructure Partners. Orsted has also filed a lawsuit on behalf of its Sunrise Wind project off the coast of New York. This case is one of many lawsuits filed by state governments and offshore wind companies to overturn the Department of the Interior's suspension order for five offshore wind mega-projects last month. In addition to Orsted's hearing, two other hearings concerning Equinor's Empire Wind project (off the coast of New York) and Dominion's Coastal Virginia offshore wind facility are also scheduled this week.

Bao Bao (Reuters)