Judge Clears Work On Offshore Wind Project To Resume, Again

by Donald Eng

HARTFORD, CT — State officials are once again looking forward to the Revolution Wind offshore energy project after another legal victory has cleared the way for work to resume again.

On Monday, Attorney General William Tong announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has granted a preliminary injunction to block the Trump Administration’s latest effort to suspend work on Revolution Wind. Work on the nearly-complete project may now resume.

Attorney General William Tong announces that he and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the stop work order against the Revolution Wind project Credit: Jamil Ragland / CTNewsJunkie

“A federal judge has once again blocked Trump’s efforts to tank Revolution Wind, finding yet again that his actions are likely arbitrary and capricious and that our challenge is likely to succeed,” Tong said. “This project is on the finish line to begin delivering clean, affordable energy to Connecticut families. With yet another clear defeat, it is my hope that Donald Trump will drop his lawless and erratic attacks for good.”

Tong said Connecticut and Rhode Island officials would keep fighting “for as long as it takes” to get the project completed.  

Located 15 nautical miles off the coast of Rhode Island, Revolution Wind is a wind energy facility expected to deliver enough electricity to the New England grid to power 350,000 homes, or 2.5 percent of the region’s electricity supply. The project had been on track to begin delivering power this month, supplying much needed power during the challenging winter heating season, Tong said.

The Trump Administration first issued a stop work order on August 22. Days later, Connecticut and Rhode Island sued. Developer Ørsted sued separately. The federal district court in the Ørsted challenge issued an injunction, allowing work on Revolution Wind to proceed.

Then, on December 22, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management once again suspended work on the Revolution Wind offshore wind project for at least 90 days, citing undisclosed national security concerns. Ørsted sought a preliminary injunction to block this latest stop work order. Connecticut and Rhode Island filed their own request, outlining the immediate harm facing their states and residents.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection had estimated that a 90-day delay in the construction and operation of Revolution Wind would cost ratepayers in Connecticut and the broader New England region approximately $350,000 per day, for a total of $31 million in higher electricity costs.

Gov. Ned Lamont talks about the Revolution Wind stoppage in New London, CT on Aug. 25, 2025. Credit: Brian Scott-Smith / CTNewsJunkie

Following the announcement, Gov. Ned Lamont and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes issued a joint statement welcoming the news.

“This project should have never been shut down the first time or second time by the White House. Federal interference has stood in the way of lower energy costs and good-paying jobs, but today’s ruling puts Revolution Wind back on track,” Lamont said. “With construction resuming and suppliers gaining certainty as we near completion, this state-backed project will help deliver a more diverse energy supply and lower utility costs for families and businesses.”

DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes testifies before the Energy and Technology Committee during a public hearing on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Credit: Doug Hardy / CTNewsJunkie

Dykes said the court had again confirmed what she and other state officials already knew.

“The federal government’s efforts to stop the Revolution Wind project are nonsensical, arbitrary, and capricious,” she said. “This is welcome news for the dedicated skilled laborers working on this project, and for Connecticut ratepayers, who stood to lose an estimated $500 million per year if this project were blocked.”

At the federal level, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, who had demanded a classified briefing on the alleged security concerns of offshore wind projects, also called on the administration to drop its opposition to wind power.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal speaks about a potential government shutdown on Sept, 29, 2025 at the State Capitol in Hartford, CT. Credit: Jamil Ragland / CTNewsJunkie

“Once again, a court has struck down Trump’s senseless stop work order on Revolution Wind because the administration has failed to produce a single shred of evidence to support its fantastical claims,” Blumenthal said. “Trump seems intent on costing Connecticut workers thousands of jobs and raising electric prices for Connecticut consumers.”

Blumenthal said Trump’s efforts to halt the project flout laws, facts and public interest,

“His vengeance is just plain cruel and stupid,” Blumenthal said. “He should abandon this insane campaign and get out of the way.”