VIRGINIA BEACH — Construction has resumed on the $11.2 billion offshore wind project by Dominion Energy three weeks after the federal government called for a pause on the work citing national security concerns.
A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia ordered a preliminary injunction on Friday for Dominion to continue work while the company’s lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Interior’s 90 day stop order continues.
Dominion said in a statement that the company would continue working with the federal government on a solution while work restarts.
CVOW is anticipated to bring on 2.6 gigawatts of energy — enough to power 660,000 homes at a time when the need is critical in the commonwealth. The project is already near completion with the first power expected to come online at the end of the first quarter of this year. That timeline is still on track despite the nearly three week delay in constructing the turbines.
The first of the 176 turbines were delivered by ship to the leasing area Saturday. The foundations for the turbines have already been installed and power will be rolled out on the project as the turbines are built. The entire project is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026.
Members of Virginia’s congressional delegation applauded the court’s decision to allow the project to move forward and accused the pause of being politically motivated. The Department of the Interior’s stop work order did not specify the national security risks and the defense department reports were classified. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine along with Reps. Bobby Scott (3rd-District) and Jennifer McClellan (4th-District) — all Democrats — released a joint statement.
“(This) ruling is a victory for Virginians, who otherwise would face increased energy costs as a result of the Trump Administration’s shortsighted opposition to clean energy,” the statement read. “We will continue to work to protect this critical and growing industry and to ensure clean energy projects that have met every legal and regulatory requirement can move forward without undue political interference.”
This is not the first federal intervention that has targeted offshore wind projects. Funding for multiple offshore wind related projects was pulled last year including an attempt to cut funds for the Norfolk Offshore Wind Logistics Port, also known as Fairwinds Landing, and the Portsmouth Marine Terminal Offshore Wind Development Project which aided the CVOW project. However, the funding had already been spent for those port upgrades.
Attorneys general in multiple northeastern states have filed lawsuits against the federal government to push back against funding cuts and similar pauses on renewable projects in their states. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones stated in a release when he took office over the weekend, “My office will fulfill its duty to protect ratepayers and ensure the completion of Virginia’s landmark offshore wind energy project and ensure this federal overreach does not drive up energy costs for Virginians.”
Jones’ office did not respond immediately when asked if Virginia would officially enter into the lawsuit filed by Dominion.
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