Dominion Power, an offshore wind developer and utility serving Virginia’s “information middle alley,” filed go well with in opposition to the Trump administration this week over its determination to pause federal leases for giant offshore wind initiatives. The transfer places a sudden cease to 5 wind farms already below development, together with Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind venture.
The criticism 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 ideas that restrict actions by the Government Department.” Dominion desires a federal courtroom to forestall BOEM from imposing the cease work order.
“Virginia wants each electron we will get as our demand for electrical energy doubles.”
The go well with additionally argues that the “sudden and baseless withdrawal of regulatory approvals by authorities officers” threatens the flexibility of builders to assemble large-scale infrastructure initiatives wanted to satisfy rising power demand within the US.
“Virginia wants each electron we will get as our demand for electrical energy doubles. These electrons will energy the information facilities that can win the AI race,” Dominion stated in a December 22 press launch. Virginia is house to the biggest focus of knowledge facilities on the earth, in keeping with the corporate.
The frenzy to construct out new information facilities for AI — together with rising power demand from manufacturing and the electrification of properties and automobiles — has put added stress on already harassed energy grids. Rising electrical energy prices have turn out to be a flashpoint in Virginia elections, and in communities close to information middle initiatives throughout the US, consequently. Delaying development on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind farm raises venture prices that clients in the end pay for, Dominion warns.
Secretary of the Inside Doug Burgum, who is known as as one of many defendants within the go well with, stated that the 90-day pause on offshore wind leases would permit the company to deal with nationwide safety dangers, which have been apparently not too long ago recognized in categorized reviews. The US Division of Inside additionally cited considerations about generators creating radar interference.
“I wish to know what’s modified?” nationwide safety professional and former Commander of the USS Cole Kirk Lippold advised the Related Press. “To my information, nothing has modified within the risk setting that may 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 venture off the shore of New York earlier than a federal choose and BOEM lifted cease work orders. These initiatives have now been suspended once more. President Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum upon getting into workplace in January withdrawing areas on the outer continental shelf from offshore wind leasing, which a federal choose 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 mandatory for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind farm, which broke floor in 2024. The corporate has already spent $8.9 billion so far on the $11.2 billion venture that was anticipated to begin producing energy subsequent yr. Totally up and working, the offshore wind farm is meant to have the capability to provide 9.5 million megawatt-hours per yr of carbon pollution-free electrical energy, about as a lot as 660,000 properties may use within the US.
