Offshore wind developers sue Trump administration over project halts

Three offshore wind developers—companies that generate energy from wind farms located in bodies of water—have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration. The legal action follows a decision by the Department of the Interior, the US federal agency managing public lands and waters, to halt five projects worth a total of $25 billion. If completed, these projects would generate a total of 6 gigawatts of electricity. The department cited national security concerns in its decision to stop construction on December 22.

The lawsuits were filed by Ørsted, Equinor, and Dominion Energy. Ørsted and Equinor filed their lawsuits on Thursday and Friday last week, respectively. Ørsted is developing the 704 megawatt Revolution Wind project, which is nearly 90% complete, while Equinor is developing the 2 gigawatt Empire Wind project, which is about 60% complete. Dominion Energy filed its lawsuit on December 23 regarding its 2.6 gigawatt farm off the coast of Virginia, which is also about 60% complete. Dominion Energy stated it is losing $5 million per day as a result of the halt. Avangrid, the developer of Vineyard Wind 1, has not filed a lawsuit yet.

While the Department of the Interior did not provide specific details for the halt, the Trump administration may have been referencing the challenges wind turbines present to radar operations, which are military or civilian radar systems that can be interfered with by wind turbines. Whirling turbine blades have been known to stymie radar systems, but technical solutions exist. In February 2024, the Department of Energy issued a report discussing these security concerns and potential solutions. To manage interference, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management coordinates with the Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse. According to Vineyard Wind 1’s environmental impact statement, the agencies “review each proposed offshore wind project on a project-by-project basis, and would attempt to de-conflict concerns related to individual projects or multiple projects”.

Newer radar systems can filter the noise produced by wind farms using adaptive processing algorithms, according to Nicholas O’Donoughue, a senior engineer at the Rand Corporation. For example, Vineyard Wind 1 agreed to help fund radar adaptations and to curtail operations when asked by the Pentagon. Earlier last year, the Trump administration halted approvals for new offshore wind projects and paused work on Empire Wind and Revolution Wind. Work on Revolution Wind restarted after New York State negotiated with the Trump administration, and a federal judge subsequently struck down the stop work order for that project.

Why it matters

The clash highlights the tension between the US administration’s national security priorities and the massive capital investment required for the energy transition, specifically regarding radar interference.