The Trump administration has urged a federal court to deny Orsted’s request for a preliminary injunction that would allow the developer to resume work on the 704-megawatt Revolution Wind offshore project.
In a filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice (DoJ) argued that the stop-work order issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is lawful.
The DoJ stated: “Under its general authority to ensure that activities under federal leases are carried out in a manner that provides for, among other things, protection of national security and prevention of interference with other uses, BOEM issued a stop work order to Revolution Wind.
“That order did not revoke or modify any existing project approval; it did not terminate the project; and it did not rescind Revolution Wind’s lease. Rather, given the identified concerns, the order halts construction work while BOEM completes its review.”
The department acknowledged that Orsted “may be frustrated that the Project is allegedly not able to proceed on schedule,” but said the developer has not met the legal standard to show “a certain, imminent, and irreparable injury” necessary to justify injunctive relief.
Orsted has estimated that the stop-work order is costing approximately $25 million per week across the Revolution Wind project and the adjacent 924 MW Sunrise Wind project.
