Biggest offshore wind project in U.S. to resume construction after judge lifts Trump suspension
Employees of Dominion Energy gaze at one of two wind turbines located 27 miles off of Virginia Beach in the Atlantic Ocean on July 17, 2023. The two turbines are part of a pilot program for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Program.
Kendall Warner | Virginian Pilot | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind will resume construction after a federal judge on Friday temporarily lifted the Trump administration’s suspension of the project.
It is the largest offshore wind project under construction in the U.S. Shares of Dominion Energy, the owner and developer, rose about 1% on the news.
“Our team will now focus on safely restarting work to ensure CVOW begins delivery of critical energy in just weeks,” a Dominion spokesperson said in a statement.
“While our legal challenge proceeds, we will continue seeking a durable resolution of this matter through cooperation with the federal government,” the spokesperson said.
The Department of Interior in December halted construction on five wind farms off the East Coast, including Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, claiming national security concerns.
Dominion said in December that “stopping CVOW for any length of time will threaten grid reliability for some of the nation’s most important war fighting, AI, and civilian assets.”
The project would help meet growing power demand in Virginia, which is home to the largest data center market in the world.
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind is a 176 turbine project project that would provide enough power for more than 600,000 homes, according to Dominion.
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