All five US offshore wind farms under construction, which received stop-work orders from the US government, have been cleared to resume building. Ørsted’s Sunrise Wind project is the fifth to receive a preliminary injunction as part of a lawsuit challenging the order issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on December 22, 2025.
The US District Court for the District of Columbia granted the preliminary injunction for Sunrise Wind LLC on February 2, allowing the project to restart activities while the lawsuit progresses.
“Sunrise Wind will determine how it may be possible to work with the US Administration to achieve an expeditious and durable resolution,” said Ørsted. “With safety as the top priority, the Project will resume construction work as soon as possible to deliver affordable, reliable power to New York.”
The construction suspension, imposed by the Trump administration on December 22, was initially set for 90 days to allow federal reviews related to national security. However, the specific security concerns cited were not detailed by the government. The suspension cited radar interference, though developers noted that their federal permitting processes had already included scrutiny from the Department of Defense.
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit in mid-January, arguing that the projects were “carefully reviewed” by the federal government, questioning the rationale for the stop-work orders.
The affected projects include Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind-Commercial, Empire Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, and Vineyard Wind 1.
When the government ordered the pause, Vineyard Wind 1 had one turbine left to install and is expected to complete soon. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind saw its first turbine installed immediately after Dominion Energy received a preliminary injunction.
Ørsted, upon announcing its complaint against the order for Sunrise Wind, stated that the 924 MW project was nearly 45% complete, with 44 of 84 monopile foundations, the offshore converter station, and nearshore export cables installed.
At the time of the suspension order, Sunrise Wind was expected to begin generating power in October 2026. Located approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Montauk, New York, the wind farm will include 84 Siemens Gamesa 11 MW turbines and will connect to New York’s grid at the Holbrook substation in Brookhaven, Suffolk County. Sunrise Wind is the first US offshore wind project to use high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology.
Original Story at www.offshorewind.biz