Updated Sept. 10
Shakeups in the offshore wind industry seemed to arrive daily over the past couple of weeks, and Massachusetts representatives are growing increasingly concerned that after the sudden flurry of orders that the Trump administration could target Vineyard Wind next. They warn that more setbacks to the industry will lead to even higher energy costs and further problems for the grid.
The administration issued a stop-work order to Revolution Wind, a nearly completed project 12 miles off Aquinnah late last month, pending project review. More recently, the administration pushed to pause two other wind projects off the Island’s coast, thwarting the industry even more.
But amid all the moves, for seemingly the first time, a developer of one of those projects is fighting back. Danish energy company Ørsted, developer of Revolution Wind, filed a lawsuit in D.C. District Court on Thursday last week against the federal government, stating that the stop-work order was issued “without statutory authority, lacks any evidentiary basis, and is unlawful,” according to court documents.
The developer said that the project is slated to deliver a substantial amount of necessary energy and economic growth to New England and has already undergone extensive environmental, national defense, and safety review that spanned three presidential administrations and culminated in federal and state approval two years ago.
The stop-work order against Revolution Wind, issued by Matthew Giacona, acting director for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), halted what is projected to account for, according to some officials, 2.5 percent of the region’s electricity supply in 2026. The order referenced concerns of national security interests and was issued in accordance with a President Donald Trump memorandum that requires existing offshore wind permits and leases to be reviewed.
All activities offshore paused August 22 when the order was issued, a time at which the project was about 80 percent complete (all underwater foundations are installed, and almost 70 percent of the turbines).
The lawsuit said that the order violates agency regulations and procedures and the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.
Aside from Ørsted, Connecticut and Rhode Island also filed suit against the Trump administration over the stop-work order that halted construction of Revolution Wind.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced the two New England states’ plan to file a lawsuit to overturn the “baseless” order in a Rhode Island federal court last Thursday.
The combined effort is one of the first significant steps taken by the offshore wind industry to push back against an administration.
Connecticut and Rhode Island officials said that the bureau didn’t identify “any violation of law or imminent threat to safety” and said the concerns were unidentified and without explanation. They filed against the Department of the Interior, BOEM, and their appointed leaders, and allege that the order violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the government’s authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The states asked the court to declare the order unlawful and to block the halt of Revolution Wind.
“It’s been nearly two weeks, and the Trump Administration still has not explained or justified its decision to halt construction of Revolution Wind. While this is unacceptable, there is still a path forward if Washington is willing to be a partner,” Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. “We hoped to work with the Administration to lower energy costs, strengthen grid reliability, create jobs, and drive economic growth, but only if they share those goals. But if they do not, we will act to preserve this vital project and protect the energy future of Connecticut and the entire New England region.”
But it isn’t just Revolution Wind that has had issues with the Trump administration. Last week, the Trump administration asked a federal court to pause a lawsuit to the New England Wind project while it reviews the developers’ permits. New England Wind, which comprises two projects (New England Wind 1 and 2), is planned to have up to 129 turbines 20 miles from the Island, and was approved in July of last year. Construction has yet to start.
The administration also plans to reconsider the approval of SouthCoast Wind, one of the largest wind farms off the coast of the Island, which already anticipated a four-year delay in construction due to federal policies. Through the pause of another lawsuit, feds revealed the intention to review the farm’s construction and operations plan (COP), an application for a permit to develop an offshore wind farm, which was approved on Jan. 17, days before Trump took office. The project, developed by Ocean Winds 26 miles southeast of the Vineyard, would include up to 141 turbines and cover about 127,388 acres.
Concerns over Vineyard Wind
Meanwhile, the state of Revolution Wind has caused state officials to be concerned about other projects under construction, like Vineyard Wind 1, 15 miles off the coast of the Island. Gov. Maura Healey issued a statement over Labor Day in support of wind projects, noting that federal intervention jeopardizes “hardworking Americans,” and that offshore wind is a central piece to maintaining a reliable grid; Sen. Ed Markey’s office shared concern over Vineyard Wind, as have local state representatives.
“Revolution Wind in Rhode Island, for how far along that is, even though Vineyard Wind is further along, you just don’t know with this administration,” said Congressman Bill Keating, in comments with The Times. “They take [Trump’s] talking points — and all the misinformation he’s had on wind power — they go by his whims and act.”
Keating said that if Vineyard Wind is targeted, the administration would face an uphill battle of legal challenges, but he noted that that hasn’t stopped Trump in the past. The Island’s congressional rep. fears an impact to the Massachusetts grid and increasingly growing energy costs with the continued pressure on the industry, especially if Vineyard Wind is targeted. He said that the state’s grid is already in a “severe energy crisis.”
“We have been warned as a congressional delegation, even a few years ago by suppliers, that we could be facing rolling blackouts. You don’t think of that in America,” Keating told The Times.
Massachusetts has planned to rely on offshore wind in its energy future since the 2019 shutdown of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, which powered an estimated 600,000 homes. Vineyard Wind is expected at full capacity to power 400,000 homes. “We need energy here, and we need it as soon as we get it,” Markey said. “The first thing the public will get to see will be a rapid increase in energy prices,” he said, if the Trump administration tries to shut down Vineyard Wind.
Targeting Vineyard Wind would be an escalation of the Trump administration’s efforts to thwart the industry. While Revolution Wind has not reported that it is sending energy to the grid, Vineyard Wind said it’s already been sending power to the grid, as of early 2024.
Editor’s note: Print version of this story.
Dear Senator Markey, $89MWh is more than $30MWh AND the state of MA mandates that utilities purchase the higher priced offshore wind energy first. So, are you saying that even though we will pay more most days, on the few max capacity days we could potentially save money if offshore wind grows and we pay even more on all the other days? Maybe you should have found a way for Pilgrim to stay alive – would have been way cheaper (and greener) than this offshore wind debacle.
Veronica, nuclear waste lasts at least 10,000 years to as long as 100,000 years. How would you propose to package that waste and ensure it doesn’t leak for 100,000 years? How big of an army would be required to protect it? (Keep in mind that Putin bombed Chernobyl in February and it has only been a few decades since the Chernobyl plant had a catastrophic disaster).
Besides, it is immoral to pass along the cost and risk to future generations.
Whether you can accept it or not, we desperately need wind energy.
Shut them down
How much will it cost to shut them down?
More than it cost to put them up?
Who will pay?
Vineyard Wind’s only assets are the turbines.
Their Crew Transfer Vessels alone account for over $1.5 million a year in local wages, twice that in supplies and services.