Judge Royce Lamberth Allows Sunrise Wind Construction to Resume
Judge Royce Lamberth granted a preliminary injunction allowing Sunrise Wind to resume construction after the Interior Department paused five projects on Dec. 22, 2024.
ARS TechnicaCourt orders restart of all US offshore wind construction
The GuardianUS judge allows last of five offshore wind projects halted by Trump to proceed
ABC NewsAnother judge rejects Trump effort to block offshore wind, says NY project can resume
Associated PressYet another judge rejects Trump effort to block offshore wind, saying NY project can resume
Overview
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth granted Ørsted's request for a preliminary injunction on Feb. 3, 2025, allowing the Sunrise Wind project to resume construction after the Interior Department's Dec. 22, 2024 stop-work order.
The Dec. 22, 2024 pause halted five major East Coast offshore wind projects and threatened billions in investment and utility-scale capacity that advocates say would add about 6 gigawatts and power 2.5 million homes, Hillary Bright said.
The Justice Department argued in court that new classified information raised national security concerns, while White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said the pause was meant to protect national security, according to court filings and press statements.
Ørsted said Sunrise Wind is about 45% complete, will produce 924 megawatts to power roughly 600,000 New York homes and has spent or committed more than $7 billion, and court filings said the suspension cost the project at least $1.25 million per day.
The Interior Department may appeal and the injunction is temporary pending further proceedings, and Ørsted warned in court papers that the project risks losing access to a specialized vessel if work is not resumed by Feb. 6, 2025.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a judicial rebuke of an ideologically driven policy, using loaded terms (e.g., "special ire," "false statements") and privileging court rulings and judge quotes that highlight government inconsistency. They underweight the administration’s classified rationale, structuring the narrative to portray the order as arbitrary and likely to fail.
FAQ
Sunrise Wind is a 924-megawatt offshore wind project developed by Ørsted and Eversource, located about 30 miles east of Montauk Point, New York, capable of powering approximately 600,000 homes and expected to be operational in 2027.[1]
The Interior Department issued a stop-work order on December 22, 2024, halting five East Coast offshore wind projects, citing new classified national security concerns provided by defense officials.[1]
On February 2, 2026, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth granted a preliminary injunction to Ørsted, allowing Sunrise Wind to resume construction, finding the government's national security claims unpersuasive after reviewing classified information.[1]
The project was about 45% complete, with over $7 billion spent or committed, and the stop-work order cost at least $1.25 million per day, risking loss of a specialized vessel if not resumed by early February 2025.
All five projects—Sunrise Wind, Vineyard Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, South Fork Wind, and Revolution Wind—have secured preliminary injunctions, allowing construction to resume and neutralizing the federal shutdown order.[1]
