By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Nichola Groom
COPENHAGEN/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Danish offshore wind developer Orsted and the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut announced lawsuits against the Trump administration on Thursday, alleging its decision to block construction of the nearly finished Revolution Wind project is illegal.
The separate complaints are the latest twist in a saga that started last month when U.S. officials issued a stop-work order to Revolution Wind, citing unspecified national security concerns. The order forced the suspension of a project that was 80% complete with all offshore foundations in place and 45 out of 65 wind turbines installed.
“The stop-work order was issued without statutory authority, lacks any evidentiary basis, and is unlawful,” Revolution Wind said in its complaint against U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and other federal defendants. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The attorneys general of Rhode Island and Connecticut said they would file their suit in federal court in Rhode Island later on Thursday. It will ask the court to declare the stop-work order unlawful.
“This kind of erratic and reckless governing is blatantly illegal, and we’re suing to stop it,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a statement.
An Interior Department spokesperson said the agency would not comment on the litigation.
Revolution Wind, a 50/50 joint venture between wind developer Orsted and Skyborn Renewables, said it had already spent about $5 billion on the project, and that it will incur costs of another $1 billion if the stop-work order remains in place.
Orsted and Skyborn warned of potential delays, citing limited availability of specialized vessels required for offshore wind construction.
If the vessels depart due to the stoppage, the project would likely be delayed by at least a year, or even be at risk of cancellation, the filing said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized wind energy as ugly, unreliable, and expensive, and his administration has taken aggressive steps to rein in wind development.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) also halted a neighboring project owned by Norwegian energy firm Equinor in April, although the order was later lifted after diplomatic efforts by Norway’s government.
Revolution Wind was scheduled to be completed next year, and was expected to produce enough electricity to power 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
The timing of the halt to Revolution Wind is particularly damaging for Orsted, which announced last month a plan to raise 60 billion Danish crowns ($9.41 billion) through a rights issue.
($1 = 6.3751 Danish crowns)
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, editing by Terje Solsvik; Additional reporting by Nichola Groom and Nate Raymond; Editing by Jan Harvey and Marguerita Choy)
