Dominion Energy Received Injunction Against Offshore Wind Stop-Work Order
Virginia’s Dominion Energy, which is developing the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, became the third developer this week to receive an injunction against the Trump administration’s December 2025 stop-work order. Five projects received the order, with three now having received preliminary injunctions, and the other two projects in court seeking similar orders.
Judge Jamar Walker in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued a similar option to the judges hearing cases for Revolution Wind and Empire Wind. Judge Walker found that the order issued by the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on December 22 “would likely cause irreparable harm” to the utility company. Dominion Energy, unlike the other developers, is a state-regulated utility.
Dominion had filed the first challenge to the stop-work order, but Judge Walker had delayed an early ruling to give the government time to provide information to back up its stop-work order. He had asked for details on the confidential study reportedly conducted by the Pentagon, which was cited as the basis for the stop-work order. The government has vaguely referred to national security concerns and the potential for radar clutter from the turbine blades and towers.
During a hearing on Friday, January 16, Judge Walker said that he found the order “too broad,” and not specific to Dominion Energy’s project. He also indicated that he believed the concerns raised about potential radar interference were related to the operation of the wind farm and not its construction.
In its suit, Dominion Energy had called the order “arbitrary and illegal.” It countered the claims of national security by saying the project was vital to national security. It noted dramatic increases in power demand in Virginia, highlighting that its service area includes significant military installations and the world’s largest warship manufacturer (including Newport News, which is building the U.S.’s next generation of super carriers). Furthermore, it also highlighted that Virginia has the largest concentration of data centers and is playing a leading-edge role in the AI revolution.
The company responded to today’s ruling, saying that it would focus on safely restarting work on the project. Previous statements said the project is approximately 60 percent complete. It was expected to begin generating its power in the coming weeks. When completed, it will have 176 offshore wind turbines with a generating capacity of 2.6 GW.
The ruling follows Thursday’s decision, which also permits Equinor to resume work on the Empire Wind project off New York. Equinor had threatened to abandon its project if it did not receive the injunction this week.
At the beginning of the week, a third court also issued an injunction for the second time against the government so that Revolution Wind could resume construction. Revolution Wind is being developed by Ørsted in partnership with a division of BlackRock.
Each of the companies has indicated a willingness to work with the government and said they had not received responses to requests for a briefing on the Pentagon’s report. The Trump administration has repeatedly sought ways to stop the development of wind energy and directed all of its departments to work together to stop the development. Dominion Energy said after today’s ruling, it would continue to seek “a durable resolution” through cooperation with the federal government.
Each of the cases has awarded a preliminary injunction based on the information presented, which blocks the government from enforcing the stop-work order. It is not a decision on the merits of the complaint challenging the stop-work order, but under U.S. law, courts only traditionally issue preliminary injunctions when they agree the action will cause serious harm and the companies have a solid case likely to prevail at trial.
After Thursday's ruling, a spokesperson for the White House vowed the administration would continue to fight against the development of offshore wind energy power.
Empire Wind Gets Court-Ordered Injunction Against U.S. to Resume Work
A U.S. District Court Judge on Thursday, January 15, found for Equinor and its Empire Wind offshore project issuing a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s December stop-work order on the construction of offshore wind farms. It was the second court this week to issue a preliminary injunction, with others expected to rule in the coming days, while today the judge said the court would expedite a decision on the underlying case.
The injunction issued for Empire Wind came one day before the company had said it would have to shut down the project and abandon the wind farm, which is approximately 60 percent completed. The company told the court the project is working on a tight, carefully orchestrated timeline, and that the delay since the December 22 order threatened the project.
A heavy lift vessel has arrived on-site, and Equinor said it was critical that it, along with the crane, proceeded to place the topside for the project. It highlighted that the vessel is under contract and cannot linger at the sight. It said the company would find it difficult, if not impossible, to store the substation pending a later decision. The company also cited mounting costs from the delays and a threat to its project financing.
Judge Carl Nichols on the D.C. District Court heard the case on Wednesday and promised a quick decision regarding the request for the preliminary injunction. Today, the judge ruled the project would likely suffer “imminent irreparable harm” from the delay and granted the injunction while the merits of the case are being decided.
Equinor and Empire Wind quickly issued a statement saying they were focusing on safely restarting construction activities. They said they would also continue to seek to engage with the government to ensure safe and responsible operations.
Equinor, Ørsted, and Dominion Energy, in their pending legal cases, emphasized the long permitting process, including reviews and approvals by the Department of Defense. Ørsted won a similar preliminary injunction on Monday, permitting it to restart work on Revolution Wind off the coast of Rhode Island. A hearing is scheduled for Friday for Dominion Energy’s request for an order to permit it to also resume work on its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.
The Department of the Interior instructed five offshore wind farms under construction to stop work as of December 22. It cited new confidential research conducted by the Pentagon that showed a risk to national security. The reports said it is focusing on radar interference and “clutter” created by the wind turbine blades and towers.
A lawyer for Empire Wind, Ann Navaro, told the court that the Trump administration has not responded to requests for a confidential briefing on the new data. Similarly, Ørsted and Dominion Energy also said they have asked for a briefing and not received a response from the Pentagon. The judge in the Dominion Energy case has ordered the Pentagon to turn over data to the court.
Empire Wind, which is located south of New York’s Long Island, is reported to be 60 percent installed. It is due to be completed by 2027. The project had previously been ordered by the Trump administration to stop work for a month just before offshore work was scheduled to begin in the spring. That issue was settled in an out-of-court agreement after Norwegian government officials appealed to the White House, and New York State reportedly agreed to let a stalled pipeline project proceed.
A White House spokesperson told Bloomberg this afternoon that the federal government will keep fighting the offshore wind projects.
Judge Nichols today asked the government and Empire Wind to propose an expedited briefing schedule for the case. He set a January 20 deadline so that he can quickly decide the merits of the complaint against the stop-work order.
In addition to the cases for Empire Wind, Revolution Wind, and Coastal Virginia, Ørsted has filed a separate case for its Sunrise Wind project located off the coast of New York's Montauk Point. Today, Avangrid, which is developing Vineyard Wind 1, also reported that it has filed for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenging the suspension order.
The states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York have also joined the legal battle. Each of the states filed suit in support of the offshore wind projects, citing the harm to the state’s economic development from the order.
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