Ørsted Sues Trump Administration Over Suspension of $5bn Wind Project
TL/DR –
Denmark’s Orsted, the largest offshore wind developer in Europe, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for suspending work on a $5bn project along the north-east US coast. The White House suspended the lease for Orsted’s Revolution Wind site, along with five other large offshore wind projects, over unspecified “national security risks.” This followed a “stop-work order” issued against the Revolution project in August, and despite all necessary federal and state permits for the project having been secured in 2023, following nine years of extensive reviews.
Ørsted, Europe’s leading offshore wind developer, is taking legal action against the Trump administration over the suspension of its $5bn Revolution Wind site on the US north-east coast.
The Danish company filed a legal challenge 10 days after the White House decision to halt all constructions of offshore wind, including suspending the lease for Revolution Wind.
Ørsted’s legal action is the latest in the series of disagreements between the renewables sector and Donald Trump, whose administration has been blocking offshore wind projects from moving forward.
Trump, a vocal fossil fuel supporter, opposes wind energy, citing turbines as ugly, costly, and inefficient.
On 22 December, the Department of the Interior suspended the leases for five major offshore wind projects in US waters due to “national security risks”. Ørsted and its partner, Skyborn Renewables, labelled this move as a legal violation.
“Litigation is a necessary step to protect the project,” stated Ørsted, emphasizing the harm the suspension order could cause to the project.
The Trump administration previously issued a “stop-work order” for Revolution Wind in August, citing national security interests, leading to a sharp decrease of Ørsted’s market value.
Ørsted shares increased by nearly 4% on Friday following the announcement of the legal action. The Revolution Wind project is now almost 90% complete and is set to deliver “reliable, affordable power” to US homes in 2026.
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