The Trump administration has ordered Denmark-based Ørsted A/S to halt all construction on the nearly finished Revolution Wind farm off the Rhode Island and Connecticut coasts. In a letter posted late Friday, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said work must stop while officials review unspecified national-security concerns. Revolution Wind is about 80 percent complete, with foundations in place and 45 of its planned 65 turbines erected. The 704-megawatt project, valued at roughly $4 billion, was due to begin supplying electricity to about 350,000 homes next year and is central to the clean-energy strategies of both states. Ørsted said it is complying with the stop-work order but is evaluating legal options and the financial impact. The company’s shares plunged as much as 19 percent to a record low in Copenhagen on Monday, complicating plans for a $9.4 billion rights issue announced earlier this month. Equinor ASA, which holds a minority stake in Ørsted, has offered assistance as the developer assesses its next steps. Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Democratic members of Congress urged the administration to let construction resume, warning that the decision threatens about 1,000 union jobs, regional power-price relief and state emissions targets. The Interior Department’s stance signals a broader shift: in a separate court filing, federal lawyers said they intend to withdraw approval for US Wind’s $6 billion project off Maryland. The latest actions follow an earlier month-long pause on Equinor’s Empire Wind venture near New York and add to growing investor concern over the outlook for U.S. offshore wind development.
I'm not a big wind guy myself, but halting this at 80% complete is pretty insane https://t.co/oPtKLS0W0a
US investments in renewable energy projects plunged this year as developers responded to White House policy shifts targeting the sector https://t.co/e8Tsf77zyW
US Halts Orsted Scheme in Escalating Anti-Wind Push The move adds to a growing list of regulatory moves that limit new wind development in the US — and even hamper late-stage projects. https://t.co/z8tQZdkksA