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Ørsted Sues to Overturn U.S. Offshore Wind Lease Freeze as Equinor Joins Legal Fight

Developers say the pause contradicts years of defense reviews, threatening near-finished projects and jobs.

Overview

  • Revolution Wind LLC, the Ørsted–Skyborn joint venture, filed a supplemental complaint in D.C. federal court seeking a preliminary injunction to lift the Interior Department’s December 22 lease suspension.
  • Revolution Wind is about 87% complete, with all foundations, both offshore substations, export cables, and 58 of 65 turbines installed, after billions of dollars in spending.
  • Interior paused leases for five under‑construction projects citing national security and radar “clutter,” affecting Vineyard Wind 1, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind, and Revolution Wind.
  • Equinor’s Empire Wind filed its own lawsuit and plans to seek a preliminary injunction, while Dominion Energy sued first on December 23 over the same suspension order.
  • Developers point to years of Pentagon consultations and formal mitigation agreements and note a judge previously enjoined an August stop‑work order, as unions warn of job losses and Ørsted shares rose more than 4% on the legal move.