Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind can resume construction, says federal judge

The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project can resume construction after a federal judge temporarily lifted the Trump administration’s suspension of the project, according to CNBC, Reuters, and several other online reports.

On Dec. 22, the Department of Interior had halted construction of five wind farms off the East Coast, including Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, claiming national security concerns.

On Jan. 16, Judge Jamar Walker of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted Dominion’s request for a preliminary injunction. Dominion allegedly described the Trump suspension as “arbitrary and illegal” in its lawsuit.

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind is said to be the largest offshore wind project under construction in the United States. It calls for 176 offshore wind energy turbines to be placed 27 miles off the coast of Virginia, in order to generate a total of 2.6 gigawatts. It is scheduled to start generating power by the end of 1Q 2026.

“Our team will now focus on safely restarting work to ensure CVOW begins delivery of critical energy in just weeks,” a Dominion spokesperson told CNBC in a statement Friday.

“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 Trump administration tried to halt four other offshore wind farms in December. They are Vineyard Wind 1 off Massachusetts; Revolution Wind off Rhode Island; Sunrise Wind off Long Island and New England; and Empire Wind 1 south of Long Island.

Federal judges this week have also allowed the Revolution Wind and Empire Wind projects to resume construction.