A U.S. District Court in Virginia is delaying the first legal confrontation regarding the Department of the Interior’s suspension of five offshore wind farm projects as it awaits critical data from the government. The complex situation involves Dominion Energy seeking a temporary restraining order to allow work on its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project to resume, with the next court date scheduled for January 16.
The Department of the Interior recently ordered the halting of construction on Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia and four other offshore wind farms, citing unspecified national security concerns related to radar interference caused by turbine installations. The government justified its actions by referencing new confidential studies conducted by the Pentagon.
All five offshore projects are in various stages of construction. Coastal Virginia, along with the Vineyard Wind 1 project in Massachusetts, is approaching completion. Dominion has highlighted the financial repercussions of the stop-work order, claiming it incurs losses of up to $5 million daily, threatening the project’s timely completion in 2026 and the overall stability of the electricity grid, which is already in need of additional power supply. Coastal Virginia aims to initiate power generation by early 2026.
Despite the halt on offshore construction, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has permitted measures to ensure safety on-site. Recent reports indicate that Vineyard Wind 1 has been allowed to produce power with a partial installation, having successfully generated its first electricity in January. By the summer, it was reported that more than a third of its 62 turbines were operational, and the project has indicated it can produce 572 MW of its planned 800 MW capacity. Vineyard Wind 1 is recognized as the second commercial-scale wind project to generate electricity, following the completion of South Fork Wind in New York in 2024.
Dominion Energy has positioned itself as the first developer to challenge the federal actions, labeling them unconstitutional and contrary to the established rules of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Presiding Judge Jamar Walker has yet to rule on the merit of Dominion’s temporary restraining order but has shifted the case focus toward a preliminary injunction that, if approved, would allow construction to continue while the legal proceedings unfold.
In response to the litigation, the government has informed the court that it anticipates being able to disclose the classified information underlying the stop-work order during the week of January 5. The District Court stressed that this information is essential for assessing the request for the injunction. The government is expected to submit this information by January 9, along with a corresponding response from Dominion. The upcoming hearing on January 16 will address the motion for a preliminary injunction, which carries significant implications for the future of the offshore wind projects in question.