Dominion Energy has filed a lawsuit against the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump after a federal order halted construction on all five offshore wind farms currently under development in the United States.
The legal challenge follows a stop-work order issued by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which cited new national security concerns. Dominion said the order was issued just as turbine installation had begun at its 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project.
In its complaint filed last week, Dominion argued that the decision lacked a legal and procedural basis. “BOEM’s order sets forth no rational basis, cannot be reconciled with BOEM’s own regulations and prior issued lease terms and approvals, is arbitrary and capricious, is procedurally deficient, violates the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and infringes upon constitutional principles that limit actions by the Executive Branch,” the company wrote.
Dominion said it has already spent about $8.9 billion on the $11.2 billion CVOW project, with costs being recovered from customers through regulated rates.
The utility warned that delays could have wider implications for the project schedule. “There is a strict timeline for remaining CVOW construction activities, and any delay will affect the availability of specialized vessels, equipment, and labour,” Dominion said in the filing.
The company is asking the court to overturn, or vacate, the administration’s stop-work order, allowing construction to resume.
