Dominion Power, an offshore wind developer and utility serving Virginia’s “information heart alley,” filed swimsuit in opposition to the Trump administration this week over its determination to pause federal leases for giant offshore wind tasks. The transfer places a sudden cease to 5 wind farms already underneath development, together with Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind undertaking.
The complaint Dominion filed Tuesday alleges {that a} cease work order that the Bureau of Ocean Power Administration (BOEM) issued Monday is illegal, “arbitrary and capricious,” and “infringes upon constitutional rules that restrict actions by the Government Department.” Dominion desires a federal court docket to forestall BOEM from imposing the cease work order.
“Virginia wants each electron we are able to get as our demand for electrical energy doubles.”
The swimsuit additionally argues that the “sudden and baseless withdrawal of regulatory approvals by authorities officers” threatens the flexibility of builders to assemble large-scale infrastructure tasks wanted to fulfill rising power demand within the US.
“Virginia wants each electron we are able to get as our demand for electrical energy doubles. These electrons will energy the info facilities that can win the AI race,” Dominion mentioned in a December 22 press release. Virginia is dwelling to the biggest focus of information facilities on the planet, in line with the corporate.
The push to construct out new information facilities for AI — together with rising power demand from manufacturing and the electrification of houses and autos — has put added strain on already careworn energy grids. Rising electrical energy prices have grow to be a flashpoint in Virginia elections, and in communities near data center projects across the US, in consequence. Delaying development on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind farm raises undertaking prices that prospects finally pay for, Dominion warns.
Secretary of the Inside Doug Burgum, who is called as one of many defendants within the swimsuit, mentioned that the 90-day pause on offshore wind leases would permit the company to deal with nationwide safety dangers, which had been apparently lately recognized in labeled experiences. The US Division of Inside additionally cited issues about generators creating radar interference.
“I wish to know what’s modified?” nationwide safety professional and former Commander of the USS Cole Kirk Lippold told the Associated Press. “To my information, nothing has modified within the risk atmosphere that might drive us to cease any offshore wind applications.”
The Trump administration beforehand halted development on the Revolution Wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island and Empire Wind undertaking off the shore of New York earlier than a federal choose and BOEM lifted stop work orders. These tasks have now been suspended again. President Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum upon moving into workplace in January withdrawing areas on the outer continental shelf from offshore wind leasing, which a federal judge struck down earlier this month for being “arbitrary and capricious.”
Dominion Power says it had already obtained all of the federal, state, and native approvals crucial for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind farm, which broke floor in 2024. The corporate has already spent $8.9 billion thus far on the $11.2 billion undertaking that was anticipated to start out producing energy subsequent yr. Totally up and operating, the offshore wind farm is meant to have the capability to supply 9.5 million megawatt-hours per yr of carbon pollution-free electrical energy, about as a lot as 660,000 houses would possibly use within the US.