rsted files legal challenge against US government over windfarm lease freeze

"Europe's biggest offshore wind developer is taking the Trump administration to court over its decision to suspend work on a $5bn project on the north-east US coast. Denmark's rsted filed a legal challenge on Thursday against the White House's decision 10 days ago to suspend the lease for its Revolution Wind site as part of a sweeping move halting all construction of offshore wind."

"Trump, a vocal supporter of the fossil fuel industry, opposes renewable energy, and wind in particular, saying he finds turbines ugly, costly and inefficient. On 22 December, officials from the Department of the Interior suspended the leases for five large offshore wind projects that are under construction in US waters over unspecified national security risks. A statement from rsted and its partner in the Revolution project, Skyborn Renewables, described the move as a violation of applicable law."

"The move emerged months after the Trump administration issued a stop-work order against construction of the Revolution project in August, citing a need to address concerns related to the protection of national security interests. The halt to construction sent shock waves through the industry and pushed the market value of rsted, which is partially owned by the Danish state, to record lows."

rsted filed a legal challenge seeking an injunction after the White House suspended the Revolution Wind lease and halted offshore wind construction across several projects. The suspension followed a December 22 Department of the Interior action citing unspecified national security risks for five projects. rsted and Skyborn Renewables described the suspension as a violation of applicable law and said litigation was necessary to protect project rights and avoid substantial harm. Revolution Wind had secured all required federal and state permits in 2023 following reviews that began more than nine years earlier. An earlier stop-work order in August had already disrupted construction and depressed rsted's market value.

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