In a bold move, Europe’s largest offshore wind developer, Ørsted, has filed a legal challenge against the Trump administration’s decision to suspend work on a $5 billion wind farm project off the northeast US coast. This action comes as the renewable energy industry continues to face resistance from the former president, who has long been a vocal critic of wind power.
The Denmark-based company, Ørsted, and its partner, Skyborn Renewables, have described the White House’s decision to suspend the lease for the Revolution Wind site as a “violation of applicable law.” The attempted injunction is the latest in a series of legal battles between the renewable energy sector and the Trump administration, which has sought to block major offshore wind projects since the former president’s re-election.
Trump, a staunch supporter of the fossil fuel industry, has long opposed renewable energy, particularly wind power, claiming that he finds turbines “ugly, costly and inefficient.” In December, officials from the Department of the Interior suspended the leases for five large offshore wind projects under construction in US waters, citing “national security risks” as the reason.
“Litigation is a necessary step to protect the rights of the project and avoid substantial harm if the suspension order remained in place,” the statement from Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables said. The Revolution Wind project had secured all required federal and state permits in 2023 after a review process that began more than nine years ago.
The move to halt construction on the project sent shockwaves through the industry and pushed the market value of Ørsted, which is partially owned by the Danish state, to record lows. However, a federal judge later allowed Ørsted to restart work on the project, and construction is now nearly 90% complete.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, had previously criticized the Trump administration’s “all-out attack on American offshore wind,” saying that if the plan was to raise families’ energy prices, cut American jobs, and accelerate the climate crisis, the former president was “knocking it out of the park.”
Ørsted’s shares, which had taken another 12% plunge after the December announcement, were lifted by nearly 4% on Friday following the news of the court action. The company’s decision to take legal action underscores the industry’s determination to overcome the obstacles posed by the Trump administration and continue the expansion of offshore wind in the United States.