Work on the Ørsted “Revolution Wind” project can continue: A federal judge declared Trump’s construction freeze null and void.
It was a major blow for the Danish wind power company Ørsted: In August, US President Donald Trump had the “Revolution Wind” project off the coast of Rhode Island halted. Federal judge Royce Lamberth has now ruled that work can resume, calling Trump’s decision “arbitrary and capricious”.
About a month ago, the US government issued a “stop work” order, with the responsible Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) citing “national security concerns”. Trump’s lawyers argued that the project had not met the conditions of approval in connection with conflicts with national security and scientific marine investigations.
At the time, 45 of the 65 turbines planned for the giant wind farm, around 24 km off Rhode Island, had already been installed. On completion, the plant is expected to supply 350,000 households with electricity. Ørsted’s share price fell dramatically after the decision; according to Reuters, the company has lost $2 million a day since construction was halted. With the ruling averted, the share price rose again by 9% to $11.60.
Lamberth issued a temporary injunction preventing the government from continuing to enforce the construction freeze. The reasons for the injunction were “contradictory” and the explanations were “the height of arbitrary and capricious” government behavior.
Revolution Wind had also relied on assurances given by the government, which had been withdrawn without a trial. For Ørsted, this concerns an investment of 5 billion dollars, which was therefore on the brink.
