Judge allows a third offshore wind project to resume construction as the industry challenges Trump

Federal Judge Overturns Trump’s Offshore Wind Project Suspension in Virginia

A federal judge ruled Friday that construction can resume on Dominion Energy’s Virginia offshore wind project, dealing the third legal defeat this week to the Trump administration’s efforts to suspend East Coast wind developments.

The administration had announced last month it was suspending leases for at least 90 days on five major East Coast offshore wind projects, citing unspecified national security concerns. The move prompted immediate legal challenges from developers and state authorities who viewed the suspension as politically motivated.

In federal court in Virginia, the judge granted Dominion Energy Virginia’s request for a preliminary injunction, allowing work on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project to continue while the company’s lawsuit against the government proceeds. This ruling follows similar decisions earlier this week permitting construction to resume on Equinor’s Empire Wind project for New York and Orsted’s Revolution Wind project for Rhode Island and Connecticut.

“The judges essentially concluded that the government failed to demonstrate that the national security risk is so imminent that construction must halt,” explained Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond Law School professor tracking the lawsuits. “They found that Trump’s effort to halt these important but costly projects lacked support and would unduly harm the developing entities.”

The legal victories represent a significant setback to President Trump’s campaign against offshore wind energy. A White House spokesperson had stated earlier this week that Trump considers “wind energy the scam of the century” and that the administration “looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.” The spokesperson maintained that the pause was implemented to protect national security.

Offshore wind development has become a critical component of East Coast states’ renewable energy strategies, as limited land availability constrains options for onshore wind turbines and solar arrays. The projects represent billions in investment and thousands of jobs.

Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions, celebrated the court rulings, emphasizing their importance for workers. “With energy demand surging and prices spiking, the last thing our government should do is take any form of power generation offline,” McGarvey stated. “The men and women of NABTU are proud to be constructing every offshore wind project in the United States, all under strong project labor agreements.”

The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, under construction since early 2024, represents a substantial energy infrastructure investment. Upon completion, it will feature 176 turbines capable of generating enough electricity to power approximately 660,000 homes. Dominion Energy argued in court that the government’s suspension order was “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional.

Following the favorable ruling, Dominion Energy announced it would focus on quickly restarting work to ensure the project can begin delivering energy within weeks. The company emphasized the project’s importance in meeting Virginia’s rapidly growing energy demands, particularly from the proliferation of data centers in the region.

Virginia’s U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, along with Representatives Bobby Scott and Jennifer McClellan, released a joint statement calling the ruling “a victory for the state’s residents,” who they said “would face increased energy costs as a result of the Trump administration’s shortsighted opposition to clean energy.”

The fifth project affected by the administration’s suspension order is Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts. Its developers, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, joined other affected companies in filing a legal challenge on Thursday in Boston’s District Court.

While Trump has criticized offshore wind developments as aesthetically unappealing, the Coastal Virginia project is located approximately 27 miles off Virginia Beach’s shoreline, placing it far from coastal viewsheds.

Industry analysts note that these legal victories underscore the growing economic significance of the offshore wind sector, which represents one of the fastest-growing segments of America’s renewable energy landscape despite facing political headwinds.