Ørsted sues U.S. government over halted wind project

A joint venture involving Danish energy company Ørsted is suing the U.S. government to overturn a stop-work order that has halted construction on its Revolution Wind offshore project, the company said Friday.

Revolution Wind LLC filed a complaint on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging the order from the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The company said the project secured all required federal and state permits in 2023 after reviews that began more than nine years ago, and that it has spent and committed billions of dollars based on that process.

The stop-work order, issued in late August, is the latest setback for Ørsted in the U.S., where it canceled two other major projects in 2023.

Revolution Wind, a joint venture with a consortium led by Skyborn Renewables, is 80% complete, according to previous company statements.

The venture will continue to seek a collaborative resolution with the U.S. administration while it pursues the legal challenge, Ørsted said.

The lawsuit comes as Ørsted proceeds with a planned 60 billion Danish kroner share sale to strengthen its finances amid challenges in the U.S. market.

Separately on Friday, Ørsted lowered its 2025 profit forecast, citing weaker-than-normal winds and a project delay in Taiwan.

It now expects 2025 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization to be between 24 billion and 27 billion Danish kroner, down from a previous range of 25 billion to 28 billion.