Trump administration halts construction of Revolution Wind project
The Trump administration has halted construction of the Revolution Wind project, the $4-billion offshore wind farm being built south of the Rhode Island coast that. The project has reportedly already installed 45 of its 65 turbines.
The news was reported on Aug. 22 by the Rhode Island-based Providence Journal and several other regional news outlets.
In a letter sent on Aug. 22 to Ørsted, the Danish company that is a partner on the joint venture developing the project, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) ordered a stop to all ongoing activities related to the 704-megawatt wind farm that has contracts to deliver power to Rhode Island and Connecticut.
The BOEM cited an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January that aimed to rein in the expansion of offshore wind power in America. At the time, industry experts believed the order would stop proposed projects from moving through the permitting process, but that it would not affect wind farms like Revolution Wind that were already under construction.
The letter from acting director Matthew Giacona says the bureau ordered the halt so it can address concerns that have arisen during a review of the project sparked by the president’s order. The primary concern seemed to be military and naval capabilities, as they relate to “the protection of national security interests of the United States and prevention of interference with reasonable uses of the exclusive economic zone, the high seas, and the territorial seas.”
Onshore construction for the wind farm began more than two years ago, and the work shifted offshore in the spring of 2024. The first turbine went up at the project site about 15 miles south of Little Compton in September 2024.
Seventy percent of the turbines are now in place and the total project is about 80% complete, according to Ørsted, which is in a 50:50 partnership on the wind farm with Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables. It was on track to start delivering power to the electric grid next year.
Ørsted said that it “is evaluating all options to resolve the matter expeditiously.” This includes “engagement with relevant permitting agencies for any necessary clarification or resolution as well as through potential legal proceedings, with the aim being to proceed with continued project construction towards [commercial operation date] in the second half of 2026,” the company said in a statement.
“Ørsted is evaluating the potential financial implications of this development, considering a range of scenarios, including legal proceedings,” the statement concluded.
Construction of Revolution Wind is a key part of Rhode Island’s climate policy. Rhode Island is set to get 400 megawatts of power capacity from the project while the remaining 304 megawatts will go to Connecticut. The developers say the wind farm will generate enough power for 350,000 households.
Rhode Island needs to ramp up supplies of renewable energy to slash greenhouse gases and comply with the mandates put in place by the Act on Climate, the 2021 state law that requires Rhode Island to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
This is the second time the administration has ordered a stop to an offshore wind farm already under construction. In April, BOEM issued an order affecting Empire Wind, a project off New York, only to reverse course a month later.
Oceantic Network, an organization dedicated to advancing the US offshore renewable energy industry and its supply chain, was critical of the ‘stop work’ order. Oceantic CEO Liz Burdock said: "For the second time, the Trump Administration has taken unlawful action against a fully permitted offshore wind project under active construction—this time one that is nearly 80% complete. This dramatic action further erodes investor confidence in the US market across all industries and undermines progress on shared national priorities—shipyard revitalization, steel and port investments, and energy dominance."
"The Oceantic Network and the hundreds of American suppliers that make up its membership urges the Department of the Interior to reverse course immediately and allow this project to move forward, protecting jobs, lowering costs, and securing America’s energy independence."
About the Author
Bruce Beaubouef
Managing Editor
Bruce Beaubouef is Managing Editor for Offshore magazine. In that capacity, he plans and oversees content for the magazine; writes features on technologies and trends for the magazine; writes news updates for the website; creates and moderates topical webinars; and creates videos that focus on offshore oil and gas and renewable energies. Beaubouef has been in the oil and gas trade media for 25 years, starting out as Editor of Hart’s Pipeline Digest in 1998. From there, he went on to serve as Associate Editor for Pipe Line and Gas Industry for Gulf Publishing for four years before rejoining Hart Publications as Editor of PipeLine and Gas Technology in 2003. He joined Offshore magazine as Managing Editor in 2010, at that time owned by PennWell Corp. Beaubouef earned his Ph.D. at the University of Houston in 1997, and his dissertation was published in book form by Texas A&M University Press in September 2007 as The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: U.S. Energy Security and Oil Politics, 1975-2005.