NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Developers behind a major Virginia offshore wind project are asking a federal judge to block a Trump administration order that abruptly halted construction on five wind projects along the East Coast, arguing the action is unlawful and economically damaging.
Dominion Energy Virginia filed a lawsuit late Tuesday seeking immediate relief from the order, which paused work on its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project and four others after federal officials raised unspecified national security concerns. The Richmond-based utility contends the action violates constitutional standards and threatens critical energy infrastructure needed to meet surging electricity demand.
In its filing, Dominion said the order is “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional. The company argues the project is essential to serving rapidly expanding power needs driven by the proliferation of large-scale data centers across Virginia and the broader Mid-Atlantic region.
The Interior Department announced the construction pause on Monday but offered few details about the nature of the alleged security risks. In a letter sent to project developers, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management established a 90-day review period — with the possibility of an extension — “to determine whether the national security threats posed by this project can be adequately mitigated.”
In addition to Dominion’s Virginia project, the order applies to Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind in Rhode Island and Connecticut, and two New York developments: Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. Democratic governors in those states have vowed to challenge the federal action, framing it as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to curb renewable energy development.
Dominion’s offshore wind project has been under construction since early 2024 and was expected to begin delivering power early next year. Once operational, it is projected to generate enough electricity to supply approximately 660,000 homes. The company said the halt is costing more than $5 million per day, largely due to expenses associated with specialized construction vessels operating around the clock.
According to Dominion, those losses will ultimately be absorbed either by customers or the company itself if construction delays persist.
Dominion described the order as “the latest in a series of irrational agency actions attacking offshore wind and then doubling down when those actions are found unlawful.”
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the lawsuit or the national security review.
U.S. District Judge Jamar Walker has scheduled a hearing for 2 p.m. Monday to consider Dominion’s request for a temporary restraining order that would allow construction to resume while the legal challenge proceeds.
The case adds to the growing legal and political battle surrounding offshore wind development in the United States, as energy companies, state leaders and federal agencies clash over climate policy, energy reliability and national security priorities.
Originally reported by Associated Press in The Well News.
