Developers of a major offshore wind project off the coast of Virginia have asked a federal judge to block a Trump administration order that halted construction on five projects over national security concerns.
Dominion Energy Virginia said in a lawsuit filed that the government’s decision was “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional. The Richmond-based utility is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, which it says is critical to meeting rapidly rising electricity demand driven by the expansion of data centres.
The US Interior Department did not spell out the specific security risks when it ordered the projects to stop. In a letter to developers, its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it would undertake a 90-day review — potentially longer — “to determine whether the national security threats posed by this project can be adequately mitigated”.
The order also affects the Vineyard Wind project in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind in Rhode Island and Connecticut, and two projects in New York — Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. Democratic governors in those states have said they will challenge the decision, which they describe as the latest move by the Trump administration to curb offshore wind development.
Dominion said construction of its Virginia project began in early 2024 and was due to be completed early next year, generating enough power for around 660,000 homes. The company said the halt was costing it more than $5 million a day in losses linked solely to round-the-clock use of specialised construction vessels, with the costs ultimately likely to be borne by customers or shareholders.
In its filing, Dominion described the order as “the latest in a series of irrational agency actions attacking offshore wind and then doubling down when those actions are found unlawful”.
