Construction has resumed across all five US offshore wind farms that were paused by federal stop-work orders issued on 22 December 2025. The final project to regain permission to continue was the Sunrise Wind development, after a court allowed Sunrise Wind LLC to restart the activities affected by the suspension while its legal challenge proceeds.
The US District Court for the District of Columbia approved the requested injunction on 2 February, clearing the immediate resumption of the halted work. The lawsuit targets the suspension directive signed by the Director of the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on 22 December 2025.
The five projects covered by the 22 December suspension were Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind-Commercial, Empire Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, and Vineyard Wind 1.
The federal pause was intended to run for 90 days, with the government citing national security reviews for projects already in mid-construction. Developers and some state governments said the concerns were not clearly set out. While DOI communications referenced potential radar interference, affected developers noted that their multi-year federal permitting pathways also included review by the Department of Defense (now Department of War).
New York Attorney General Letitia James, in a mid-January filing, argued the projects had already undergone extensive federal review and said the stop-work orders did not explain the shift in the federal position or provide a genuine justification for the suspensions.
When the pause was ordered, Vineyard Wind 1 had one turbine left to install and is expected to finish soon. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind-Commercial began installing its first turbine shortly after Dominion Energy secured its own injunction.
Before filing its complaint, Ørsted said the 924 MW Sunrise Wind project was close to 45% complete. The developer reported 44 of 84 monopile foundations installed, along with the offshore converter station and nearshore export cables. At the time the suspension was issued, the project was expected to start generating electricity in October 2026.
Sunrise Wind is located about 30 miles (48 km) east of Montauk, New York. The wind farm is planned to use 84 Siemens Gamesa 11 MW turbines, with grid connection at the Holbrook substation in Brookhaven, Suffolk County. The project is described as the first US offshore wind development to deploy a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) system.
Commenting on the ruling, Ørsted said it would assess how to engage with the US Administration to reach a fast, lasting resolution. The company added that, with safety foremost, it intends to restart the affected construction work as soon as possible to deliver power to New York.
