US judge allows Danish firm to resume Rhode Island offshore wind project

A federal judge cleared Ørsted to resume work on the nearly finished Revolution Wind project in Rhode Island after rejecting the Interior Department's December pause on five offshore wind leases.

A federal judge has cleared Danish developer Ørsted to resume work on the near-complete Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island. The decision responds to a December pause announced by the Interior Department on five offshore wind leases, which the department cited as a national security action. Judge Royce Lamberth said the project would be irreparably harmed without an injunction and rejected the administration's argument that classified information justified the halt. The lawsuit is one of several filed by developers and states seeking to reverse the department's suspension. Key facts: - Judge Royce Lamberth granted relief enabling Ørsted to resume work on the Revolution Wind project. - The Interior Department announced a suspension of five offshore wind leases on Dec. 22, citing national security concerns. - Government attorneys said the pause was based on new classified information from the Pentagon; the judge rejected that justification at the hearing. - Ørsted has said the project is about 87% complete and was expected to begin generating power this year. - Monday's hearing was the first of three preliminary injunction hearings this week; the others involve Equinor's Empire Wind and Dominion's Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. Summary: The ruling allows construction and other project activity on Revolution Wind to resume and represents a legal setback to the administration's pause on offshore wind leases. Related lawsuits and preliminary injunction hearings for other projects are continuing this week. Undetermined at this time.