In the latest decision to counter the previous Biden government’s support of the wind and solar industries, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has ordered Ørsted’s $1.5 billion Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island to halt all offshore activities, which were 80% complete with 45 of 65 turbines installed.
Beginning next year, the wind farm was slated to supply electricity to 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
A joint venture between Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partner’s Skyborn Renewables, Revolution Wind indicated it was complying with the order and “taking appropriate steps to stop offshore activities, ensuring the safety of workers and the environment”.
The company stated it is “evaluating all options to resolve the matter expeditiously,” including potential legal proceedings and engagement with permitting agencies.
In its directive to Ørsted, BOEM cited the need “to halt all ongoing activities related to the Revolution Wind Project on the outer continental shelf (OCS) to allow time for it to address concerns that have arisen during the review that the Department is undertaking pursuant to the President Trump’s Memorandum of January 20, 2025.” The latter suspended all federal approvals for wind energy projects and ordered a comprehensive review of existing wind energy projects.
BOEM evoked concerns related to “protection of national security interests of the United States and prevention of interference with reasonable uses of the exclusive economic zone, the high seas, and the territorial seas.”
The company noted that South Fork Wind, an adjacent project using identical turbine technology, “delivered reliable energy to New York at a capacity factor of 53% for the first half of 2025, on par with the state’s baseload power sources.”
Earlier this month, BOEM scrapped a massive wind project in Idaho.
This development follows similar action against Equinor’s Empire Wind project, which faced a temporary stoppage earlier this year. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had cited “concerns about the previous administration’s approval process” for that suspension.
Empire Wind’s stoppage was eventually lifted after a month, but the interruption had big financial consequences. Equinor reported “a significant impairment of $763 million related to its Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project and South Brooklyn Marine Terminal development” in its second quarter 2025 financial results.
(Photo of offshore wind turbine by Kate Ciembronowicz, Ørsted)