Injunctions lift freeze on key US offshore wind projects

Within the last week, federal judges have made decisions to allow construction to resume on offshore wind projects off the US coasts of New England, New York and Virginia.

The projects impacted by the decisions include Empire Wind and Revolution Wind.

Equinor announced that a preliminary injunction was granted by the US District Court for the District of Columbia allowing construction activities to resume at the Empire Wind farm.

The news follows the lawsuit that challenged the US Department of the Interior’s 22 December 2025 decision to suspend all work. Since that decision, work on the 810MW project halted.

Empire Wind is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to boost grid reliability and will be able to provide enough power for approximately 500,000 homes in New York when complete.

Danish energy giant Ørsted also announced that the preliminary injunction sought by Revolution Wind was granted by the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The project, a 50/50 joint venture between Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables and Ørsted, was forced to suspend activities due to the 22 December decision taken by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

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According to Ørsted, construction activities may resume immediately while the underlying legal challenge to the BOEM director’s order continues.

Hillary Bright, executive director of independent nonprofit organisation Turn Forward which advocates for offshore wind, issued a statement after the preliminary injunctions were granted. “Today’s ruling in Virginia marks the third time in a row that a court has allowed one of the five offshore wind projects suspended in December to resume construction. 

"This is good news for stressed power grids on the East Coast — and also for the ratepayers who will ultimately benefit once these projects are completed."

Bright cited the importance of being able to meet the growing power demands and stressed the potential for grid reliability issues if these projects don't proceed. 

"The Administration wants power-hungry AI to help fuel economic growth and also seeks to solve household affordability issues. Offshore wind aligns with both those goals, bringing utility-scale power to busy coastal regions and shoring up electricity grids gradually growing overtaxed by demand."

On the back of these injunctions, Vineyard Wind, jointly owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables, announced that it has filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

The Vineyard Wind project is contesting the same 22 December suspension order, with stakeholders continuing to engage with the administration to address concerns raised in the directive.

According to a Vineyard Wind statement, the project’s stakeholders believe: “the Order violates applicable law and, if not promptly enjoined, will lead to immediate and irreparable harm to the project, and to the communities who will benefit from this critical source of new power…”

The December Order formed part of a comprehensive review of offshore wind regulations to assess their alignment with the US' Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Administration’s energy priorities.

The review aims to ensure federal rules do not grant preferential treatment to foreign-controlled energy sources over domestic producers.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the review and said the department was committed to ensuring offshore energy development aligns with President Trump’s “America First Energy Dominance” agenda. He added that the approach prioritises reliability, national security, scientific integrity and responsible environmental stewardship.