Five offshore wind projects halted mid-construction

Summary

On January 20, 2025, Trump issued a presidential memorandum temporarily withdrawing all Outer Continental Shelf areas from offshore wind leasing and halting new wind permits pending a federal review. On December 22, 2025, DOI suspended leases for five under-construction East Coast projects.

What happened

The January 20 memorandum directed agencies to stop issuing any permits or approvals for offshore or onshore wind projects. A federal district court (Judge Patti Saris, D. Mass.) later vacated that memorandum as unlawful. The administration then issued a separate December 2025 lease suspension for five active projects - Empire Wind, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, Vineyard Wind 1, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind - citing military radar concerns, forcing construction stops on all five projects. Those stops were short-lived: four federal judges issued injunctions lifting every stop-work order (Revolution Wind Jan 12, Empire Wind Jan 15, Vineyard Wind Jan 27, Sunrise Wind Feb 2, with Coastal Virginia also cleared), and all five projects resumed construction by early February 2026. The administration (Interior Secretary Burgum) did not pursue the appeals and let the deadline lapse in April 2026, so as of June 2026 no projects remain suspended.

Impact on the United States

Dominion Energy said it was losing $5 million per day while its Coastal Virginia project was halted, and warned that stopping the project would "threaten grid reliability ... lead to energy inflation and threaten thousands of jobs." According to the developers, Empire Wind is expected to power more than 500,000 homes and Sunrise Wind nearly 600,000 homes.

Documented effects

1. Dec 2025The Interior Department paused five East Coast offshore wind projects under construction on December 22, 2025 (Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind), citing national security risks including radar interference.[1]
2. Dominion Energy said it was losing $5 million per day while Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind was halted; a federal judge lifted that stop-work order on January 16, 2026.[7]
3. Feb 2026Federal courts lifted all five December 2025 stop-work orders between Jan 12 and Feb 2, 2026 (Revolution Wind, Empire Wind, Vineyard Wind, Sunrise Wind, plus Coastal Virginia), and construction resumed on every project.[3][4][5]
4. Apr 2026The administration did not appeal the rulings; the final appeal deadline lapsed in April 2026, so as of June 2026 no offshore wind projects remain suspended.[6]

Why this is rated significant

Suspended five East Coast offshore wind projects mid-construction, with Dominion reporting $5M/day in losses; serious but sector- and region-specific, and reversed by courts within weeks.

initial memo vacated by court; all five December 2025 stop-work orders lifted by federal courts Jan-Feb 2026; administration let appeal deadline lapse April 2026

Corrections & updates [6]

Every change to a fact on this page after publication is logged here, newest first.

1. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedKey facts

   Two effects cited sources that do not contain their figures. PBS NewsHour does not mention roughly 6 GW or 80 union workers. NPR does not mention Dominion's $5 million a day or costs at Avangrid. The Dominion figure is now cited to VPM News, which reports the company's statement that it was losing $5 million per day. The same article reports that Judge Jamar Walker lifted the Coastal Virginia order on January 16, 2026. The capacity, job, and Avangrid claims are removed.[1][7]

2. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedUS impact

   No cited source supports the US-impact figures: 80 millwrights, about 2,000 Orsted job cuts, at least $9 million for New England ratepayers, and nearly 6 GW powering more than 2.5 million homes. They are replaced with figures from sources: Dominion's $5 million per day (VPM News), Vineyard Wind already supplying power to the grid, and the five projects together powering over 2 million homes (Electrek).[7][6]

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   Previously

   80 union millwrights working on Vineyard Wind and Revolution Wind were effectively terminated during Christmas week 2025. Ørsted, the world's largest offshore wind developer, announced roughly 2,000 global job cuts citing US market uncertainty. Dominion Energy estimated it loses $5 million per day its Coastal Virginia project remains halted. New England ratepayers face at least $9 million in additional costs. The five suspended projects represent nearly 6 GW - enough to power more than 2.5 million homes.

   Now

   Dominion Energy said it was losing $5 million per day while its Coastal Virginia project was halted. Vineyard Wind, about 95% complete and already sending power to the grid, was among the projects stopped. Together the five projects are expected to generate enough electricity for over 2 million homes.

3. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedSource

   Several source details were wrong. NPR's headline is "The Trump administration pauses wind projects off New England, New York and Virginia." CNBC's January 15, 2026 headline is "New York offshore wind project to resume construction after judge lifts Trump suspension." The Electrek link now carries "5 offshore wind farms move ahead after Trump admin misses appeal deadline [update]." The Aegir Insights analysis is dated February 2, 2026. Aegir Insights, an industry analytics firm, and Electrek, a trade publication, are specialist sources (Tier 3), not major news outlets.[2][3][4][6]

4. Sep 29, 2026ClarifiedSeverity rationale

   The severity rationale said the halt "killed hundreds of jobs" and "raised Northeast rates." No cited source documents either. The rationale now uses documented facts; the severity level is unchanged.[1][7][3]

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   Previously

   Suspended ~6 GW of clean energy, killed hundreds of jobs, and raised Northeast rates; serious but sector- and region-specific, with initial memo vacated.

   Now

   Suspended five East Coast offshore wind projects mid-construction, with Dominion reporting $5M/day in losses; serious but sector- and region-specific, and reversed by courts within weeks.

5. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedUS impact

   The entry said the five projects would power over 2 million homes and that Vineyard Wind was about 95% complete. No cited source gives either figure. It now gives the company figures reported by CNBC (Empire Wind, more than 500,000 homes; Sunrise Wind, nearly 600,000 homes) and Dominion's warning reported by PBS. The claim that the stop orders hit projects 'already generating power to the grid' is also narrowed, and the unsourced foreign-impact paragraph about supply chains moving abroad is removed.[1][4][5][7]

6. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedCost estimate

   Cut to what is sourced: Dominion Energy's claimed loss of $5 million a day on the Coastal Virginia project for the 25 days it was halted, about $125M. The earlier $0.8-1.2B five-project cost, the $350M federal tax-credit saving and the 10-year projections had no source. Losses on the other four projects are not published, so this is a floor.

   Previously

   $850M so far ($1.2B cost - $350M savings); $1.0B / $1.0B 10yr/15yr; $2.5B broader 10yr

   Now

   $125M so far; $0 federal 10yr/15yr; $125M broader 10yr

Sources [7]