Saving Seafood

Offshore Wind Projects Challenge Trump Administration’s Order to Stop Work

January 5, 2026 — Developers of five offshore wind farms that were ordered last week by the Trump administration to halt construction are suing to restart work on at least three of the projects.

The Interior Department on Dec. 22 ordered companies to halt work on five wind farms in various stages of construction along the East Coast. They were: Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind, both off the coast of New York; Revolution Wind off Rhode Island and Connecticut; Vineyard Wind 1 off the coast of Massachusetts; and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind off Virginia.

The administration cited unspecified national security concerns about the projects.

On Thursday, Orsted, the Danish energy giant that is building Revolution Wind, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. On Friday Equinor, the developer of Empire Wind, did the same.

Both companies said they are seeking preliminary injunctions that would allow construction to continue as the litigation proceeds. Orsted is also building Sunrise Wind and said it was considering a similar legal challenge to restart work on that project, too.

Read the full article at The New York Times

 

Trump Halts Revolution Wind Work for Second Time

December 23, 2025 — The Trump administration on Monday ordered a halt to construction on five East Coast offshore wind projects, including Rhode Island’s Revolution Wind.

The Interior Department said it is pausing all leases for large-scale offshore wind projects that are currently under construction, affecting the Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind 1 projects.

U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, said Monday, “At a time when working people in Rhode Island are struggling with high costs on everything, Trump should not be canceling energy projects that are nearly ready to deliver reliable power to the grid at below-market rates and help lower costs.”

The Revolution Wind project, located 15 miles off Rhode Island’s shore and 85% complete, was expected to deliver enough electricity to the New England grid to power 350,000 homes, or 2.5% of the region’s electricity supply, beginning in 2026. Revolution Wind was projected to save Connecticut and Rhode Island ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars over 20 years.

Christian Roselund, co-leader of Climate Action Rhode Island’s Yes to Wind campaign, said Monday, “Donald Trump is getting desperate. The Trump administration’s new attempt to freeze offshore wind projects under construction – after courts quickly threw out the last stop work order on Revolution Wind – shows again that he doesn’t understand what it means to be a U.S. president and that he wants instead to be a dictator.”

Read the full article at EcoRI

Construction Underway on New York’s Largest Offshore Wind Project

July 31, 2024 — Construction is underway in New York on what will be the state’s largest offshore wind farm.

A groundbreaking ceremony on Long Island officially kicked off the start of the project, which will support more than 800 direct jobs during its construction phase. It is said the project will stimulate economic benefits from the Capital Region to Long Island – including a $700 million investment in Suffolk County. Once completed, the 924-megawatt Sunrise Wind project will provide enough clean energy to power approximately 600,000 New York homes.

Developed by Ørsted, it will be built under “industry-leading project labor agreements” which officials say will ensure local union labor’s participation in all phases of construction.

Read the full story at Newsweek

Sunrise Wind cleared to start construction

June 27, 2024 — Another industrial offshore wind farm off the coast of the Vineyard is preparing to start construction.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved Sunrise Wind’s construction and operations plan on June 21, according to a press release from the agency. This is the final approval the project needed from BOEM.

According to Ørsted, offshore wind construction will “ramp up” later this year and Sunrise Wind is expected to be fully operational by 2026.

Sunrise Wind, an offshore wind project owned by Ørsted, will consist of 84 wind turbines and produce 924 megawatts of power. According to BOEM, that is enough to power over 320,000 homes annually. The project lease area is located around 18 miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard and will be providing power to New York. By comparison, Sunrise Wind will be located around 30 miles east of Montauk, New York.

Read the full article at The Martha’s Vineyard Times

Work has started on major offshore wind farm that would power Rhode Island. What to know.

May 2, 2023 — The developers of Rhode Island’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm are still waiting on approvals for the 704-megawatt project, but that’s not stopping them from starting work on pieces of it.

Ørsted and Eversource welcomed Gov. Dan McKee, the Rhode Island congressional delegation and other officials to the Port of Providence on Monday to mark the beginning of fabrication of some of the key components of the towering wind turbines that will be installed in the waters between Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard as part of Revolution Wind.

The companies set up shop a year and a half ago in the port, where they built a regional hub that is supplying parts to a host of wind farms planned off southern New England.

‘Jobs of the 21st century’

First up for the facility was the South Fork Wind Farm, a 130-megawatt, 12-turbine array already under construction that will help power Long Island. Now comes Revolution, the 65-turbine project that would deliver energy to Rhode Island and Connecticut. Sunrise Wind, an 880-megawatt proposal to also supply New York, is expected to follow. And, if all goes as planned, a second, even bigger phase of Revolution would come.

It’s all part of a long-term vision to not only generate cleaner sources of power to help meet the nation’s climate goals, but also position Rhode Island as a manufacturing base for offshore wind development.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Orsted, Eversource Host N.Y. Supply Chain Forum to Partner with Local Businesses

June 10, 2022 — Ørsted and Eversource are hosting an offshore wind supply chain forum in Albany to help New York businesses connect with Tier 1 suppliers on potential job opportunities at Sunrise Wind Farm. This the first New York forum of its kind to feature a large project supplier sharing details on opportunities for supporting vendors and subcontractors to work on the project.

The June 14 forum from 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. is the first of three that Ørsted and Eversource will host in New York; it aims to match New York businesses with near-term opportunities in the offshore wind supply chain. Eversource Energy, Siemens Gamesa, Siemens Inc., Riggs Distler, Ljungstrom, Carver Companies, Blue Ocean Energy Marine, Edison Chouest Offshore, Nexans, HeliService International, ATOS and LS Cable are scheduled to attend.

Read the full story at North American Windpower

Ørsted, Eversource Hire Sea ServIces to Ensure Safety During Offshore Wind Farm Construction

May 19, 2021 — Ørsted and Eversource have announced they will collaborate with marine services provider Sea Services North America, and its partner fishermen in Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York, to support safe navigation in and around the companies’ Northeast offshore wind farm projects.

This includes the 704-megawatt Revolution Wind project serving Rhode Island and Connecticut, the 132-megawatt South Fork Wind serving Long Island and the 924-megawatt Sunrise Wind project serving New York.

“We believe strongly that offshore wind can coexist with all ocean users, including the region’s commercial and recreational fishing fleets,” said David Hardy, Chief Executive Officer of Ørsted Offshore North America. “Our expanded collaboration with Sea Services will help us as we strive to achieve that coexistence, with the valuable support from fishermen who know the area’s waters best.”

Read the full story at Go Local Prov