This week it was announced that a US court has granted a preliminary injunction, suspending the stop-work order the Trump administration issued against Ørsted’s Revolution Wind offshore wind project in August. This means that until further notice, Ørsted can resume work on the project and keep working throughout BOEM’s ongoing review of Revolution Wind and the proceedings of the underlying court case.
This is good news, not only for Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables, but also for the wider American offshore wind sector and especially the four other projects in construction.
The judge siding with Revolution Wind against the stop-work order indicates that there is a path to completion for not only Revolution Wind, but also Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind 1, Vineyard Wind and CVOW, even if they are hit with stop-work orders and can't talk their way out of them like Equinor did with Empire Wind.
The win may also encourage developers of slightly less mature projects whose permits are under attack, such as Iberdrola (New England Wind), Ocean Winds (SouthCoast Wind) and US Wind (Maryland projects) to defend their project approvals as Trump's BOEM attempts to reconsider or withdraw approvals.
But while Revolution Wind won this battle, offshore wind in the US still has a war to fight. For Revolution Wind, the coming days will reveal whether they also have to argue their case in the D.C. Circuit Court – if the Interior decides to appeal the injunction. For the wider sector, the Interior's review of all permits remains a looming threat.
Aegir Insights is continuously following developments in the US market. Subscribing clients have access to a new Insights report, analyzing the Revolution Wind turn-around and can reach out to our lead analyst for the US, Signe Sørensen, to get Aegir Insights’ take on the latest developments.
Or reach out to us here to discuss the US offshore wind market.
Aegir Newsletter: Stay up-to-date with development in offshore wind and new analysis by Aegir Insights
Delivered straight to your inbox, Aegir Insights' intelligence newsletter will sharpen your market insight with exclusive analysis on key markets, developments, and technologies shaping offshore wind.