Three East Coast wind farms are delivering electricity today — South Fork Wind off Long Island, Vineyard Wind 1 off Massachusetts, and Revolution Wind off Rhode Island — while two larger projects, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind and New York’s Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind, are still being built through a running legal fight with the Trump administration. Nearly every other planned project along the Atlantic seaboard has been cancelled, frozen, or bought back by the federal government.
The Wind Farms Generating Power Now
South Fork Wind was the first utility-scale offshore wind farm to come online in the United States. The 12-turbine, roughly 130-megawatt project sits off Long Island, was developed by Ørsted and Eversource, and began delivering power in early 2024.1Eversource. Offshore Wind
Vineyard Wind 1, an 800-megawatt project off Massachusetts, completed physical construction in March 2026 and is now feeding the Massachusetts grid.2Utility Dive. Revolution Wind Comes Online, Vineyard Wind Completes Construction3New Bedford Light. Vineyard Wind’s Power Contracts Switch On, Stabilizing Electricity Prices4Revolution Wind. Construction Updates
The Wind Farms Still Being Built
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind
Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind is the largest offshore wind project in the country. When finished, its 176 turbines will produce roughly 2.6 gigawatts, enough for an estimated 660,000 homes. Onshore work began in late 2023, offshore work in early 2024, and by January 2026 the project was about 71 percent complete, with all 176 monopile foundations installed, two of three offshore substations in place, and the first turbine erected.5Dominion Energy. CVOW Project Update6Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind
The capital budget stands at $11.5 billion, which includes $580 million in tariff-related costs and $228 million tied to delays from a federal suspension order. Dominion has spent about $9.3 billion so far. Under a 2022 settlement with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, owners absorb half the costs between $10.3 billion and $11.3 billion, and customers are shielded from any costs between $11.3 billion and $13.7 billion.5Dominion Energy. CVOW Project Update First electricity is expected in the first quarter of 2026, with full completion in early 2027.
Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind
New York has two projects under construction. Empire Wind 1, developed by Equinor, is an 810-megawatt, 54-turbine farm about 15 miles south of Jones Beach. It was roughly 60 percent complete in early 2026, with $4 billion spent to date.7Inside Climate News. New York Offshore Empire Wind Project Restarts The South Brooklyn Marine Terminal is being redeveloped into a 73-acre offshore wind port to serve as the project’s operations and maintenance hub.8Governor of New York. Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams Announce Start of Construction of Transformation of South Brooklyn
Sunrise Wind, Ørsted’s 924-megawatt project 30 miles east of Montauk Point, was nearing its halfway point in early 2026.9Sunrise Wind. Sunrise Wind Both projects were originally awarded contracts in 2019, renegotiated in 2023, and finalized on new terms in June 2024 at a weighted average price of $150.15 per megawatt-hour. Together they carry $2 billion in enhanced economic commitments and are projected to deliver more than $6 billion in economic benefits over 25 years.10NYSERDA. Governor Hochul Announces Finalization of Contracts for Two Offshore Wind Projects Both are expected to enter commercial operation in 2027.11NYSERDA. NY Offshore Wind Projects
The Federal Campaign Against Offshore Wind
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued a presidential memorandum withdrawing all Outer Continental Shelf areas from future wind energy leasing, invoking Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The memo directed the Secretary of the Interior to stop issuing new or renewed permits, approvals, or loans for onshore and offshore wind projects, and to review whether existing leases should be terminated or amended, citing “potential inadequacies” in NEPA reviews.12The White House. Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf From Offshore Wind Leasing
On December 22, 2025, Interior issued 90-day suspension orders for all five East Coast projects then under construction: Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Sunrise Wind, and Empire Wind 1. The stated reason was “national security concerns,” with the department arguing that turbine blades and reflective towers cause radar interference that could obscure targets or generate false readings near East Coast population centers.13OPB. Offshore Wind Power Projects Paused by Trump Administration in Atlantic Waters Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said “the prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people.”14The New York Times. Trump Offshore Wind Farms The order came two weeks after a federal court struck down the earlier blanket permitting freeze.
The administration also cut off port funding. On August 29, 2025, the U.S. Transportation Department cancelled $679 million in federal grants for 12 offshore wind port projects across 11 states. The largest single cut was more than $426 million for the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal in California. Ports in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Michigan, and North Carolina lost the rest. The grants had been awarded through FHWA’s INFRA program and the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program.15Eno Center for Transportation. Trump Administration Cancels $679M in DOT Wind Farm Assistance16NPR. Trump Offshore Wind Energy Ports
Interior then started paying developers to walk away from their leases. On March 23, 2026, the department settled with TotalEnergies to cancel leases in the New York Bight and Carolina Long Bay. The government agreed to reimburse the company $928 million for original lease fees; TotalEnergies committed to reinvest that amount in U.S. oil and gas — specifically the Rio Grande LNG plant in Texas — and pledged to “no longer develop offshore wind projects in the United States.”17Politico. Trump Interior Total Offshore Wind18TotalEnergies. TotalEnergies Signs Agreements With US Department of Interior to End Its US Offshore Wind Projects On April 27, 2026, Interior announced similar deals with Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind. BlackRock subsidiary Global Infrastructure Partners committed up to $765 million from the Bluepoint Wind lease into a U.S. LNG facility, and Golden State Wind was eligible to recover about $120 million for a lease in California’s Morro Bay area, contingent on reinvesting in oil, gas, or energy infrastructure. Both companies agreed not to pursue further U.S. offshore wind development.19Department of the Interior. Interior Announces Two Historic Agreements to Promote Affordable, Reliable Energy Roughly $1.8 billion in taxpayer-funded reimbursements had been committed through these buybacks by mid-2026.
How the Courts Have Ruled
Federal courts have consistently blocked the administration’s actions against projects already in progress. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia challenged the permitting freeze that grew out of the January 2025 memorandum. On December 8, 2025, U.S. District Judge Patti Saris in Massachusetts vacated Interior’s implementing order, finding it “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act and that agencies had violated their duty to act on permit applications within a reasonable time.20Georgetown Climate Center. Admin Actions Restrict Wind Development The government appealed, then on June 15, 2026, the First Circuit granted the Justice Department’s request to voluntarily dismiss the case, leaving Saris’s ruling in place.21E&E News. States Claim Victory as Trump Admin Ends Wind Court Fight
All five developers hit by the December 2025 suspension orders sued, and all five obtained preliminary injunctions between January 12 and February 2, 2026, from federal courts in Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, and the Eastern District of Virginia. The courts found no rational basis for the abrupt reversal, with multiple judges treating the national security justification as pretextual; a Massachusetts federal court called the suspension “irrational.”20Georgetown Climate Center. Admin Actions Restrict Wind Development22Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program. Federal Offshore Wind Deployment
In April 2026, a federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking new agency policies that had made environmental review for wind and solar projects more onerous, again citing the APA.22Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program. Federal Offshore Wind Deployment Separately, the administration has asked courts to send earlier project approvals back to Interior for reconsideration rather than defending them in court, a tactic applied to New England Wind, SouthCoast Wind, and the Maryland Offshore Wind project.20Georgetown Climate Center. Admin Actions Restrict Wind Development
Projects Cancelled or Stuck
New Jersey
New Jersey’s offshore wind pipeline has all but collapsed. Ørsted cancelled Ocean Wind 1 (1,100 MW) and Ocean Wind 2 (1,148 MW) in October 2023, citing inflation, interest rates, and supply chain problems.23Ørsted. Ørsted Ceases Development of Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 Atlantic Shores (1.5 GW) terminated its contract with the state Board of Public Utilities in August 2025. Leading Light Wind (2.4 GW) was cancelled in November 2025. TotalEnergies’ Attentive Energy Two (1.3 GW) ended through the March 2026 federal buyback. The state has since asked to terminate its State Agreement Approach with PJM Interconnection, saying it has “no viable offshore wind projects to plug in.”24Offshore Wind Biz. New Jersey Moves to Terminate Offshore Wind State Agreement Approach With Regional Grid Operator
Maryland
The 2.2-gigawatt Maryland Offshore Wind project, developed by US Wind (backed by Apollo Global Management and Renexia), received federal approval in September 2024. The Trump administration moved in court to remand the construction and operations plan by September 2025, and it faces two lawsuits — one from a Delaware homeowner and another from Ocean City officials — in which the government has sided with the challengers.25Reuters. Trump Administration Plans to Cancel Approval of Maryland Offshore Wind Project26Utility Dive. Trump Maryland Offshore Wind Revoke Approval
Massachusetts
Two Massachusetts projects sit in limbo. New England Wind 1 (791 MW), developed by Avangrid, holds full federal permits but has not finalized a power purchase agreement with the state; the deadline is June 30, 2026. The administration sought to remand the construction approval, though a federal judge placed that request in abeyance after the April 2026 injunction against the broader anti-renewable policies.27New Bedford Light. Offshore Wind Tracker: What’s Happening to Massachusetts Projects28E&E News. Judge Weighs Future of Massachusetts Offshore Wind Farm SouthCoast Wind (1,287 MW) has federal permits but still needs a marine mammal authorization from NOAA Fisheries; Rhode Island dropped its purchase plan in November 2025, leaving the project dependent on Massachusetts under the same June 30 deadline. BP’s Beacon Wind project was abandoned in October 2025.
The Vineyard Wind Blade Failure
On July 13, 2024, a turbine blade at Vineyard Wind 1 manufactured by GE Vernova broke apart roughly 20 meters from its root, scattering fiberglass debris and foam into the ocean and onto Nantucket’s south shore beaches. A larger section detached days later, and Nantucket authorities closed beaches to swimmers due to sharp fiberglass in the surf.29Utility Dive. Vineyard Wind Blade Failure Debris Nantucket Suspended The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement halted power production and turbine installation at the site. Later inquiries revealed manufacturing deviations and allegations of data falsification at a blade plant in Canada, and Vineyard Wind was criticized for waiting 48 hours to notify the town. The town of Nantucket reached a $10.5 million settlement with GE Vernova to compensate affected businesses.30Nantucket Current. One Year Later, Vineyard Wind Blade Failure Still Unfolding BSEE later lifted its suspension on the condition that Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova remove more than 60 defective blades already installed. Construction finished in March 2026.
The Radar Interference Claim
The administration’s national security rationale for pausing construction rests on real physics but has fared poorly in court. A 2023 interagency memorandum of agreement among the DOE, DOD, FAA, NOAA, and others acknowledged that rotating turbine blades create radar reflections and shadows that can produce false detections and reduced coverage.31Sandia National Laboratories. Siting Wind Turbine Radar Interference Mitigation The Defense Department’s own clearinghouse, which has reviewed thousands of proposed wind projects since 2011, has made an “unacceptable risk” determination only once — for a project near Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland in 2014.32Air Force Judge Advocate General. Impacts of Wind Energy Standard federal practice has been to negotiate mitigation, such as moving turbines, upgrading radar software, or curtailing radar use at specific times, rather than halting construction. Multiple federal judges have found the blanket security framing unpersuasive when set against those existing processes.
Commercial Fishing Opposition
Wind farms have also faced sustained challenges from commercial fishing interests. The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance sued BOEM in January 2022 over the Vineyard Wind 1 approval, alleging inadequate environmental review and harm to fisheries and the endangered North Atlantic right whale. The case ended without success: a federal district judge denied the group standing in October 2023, the First Circuit affirmed in December 2024, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined review in May 2025.33RODA Fisheries. Fishermen’s Lawsuit Other fishing groups and local opposition organizations have filed challenges against Empire Wind, Atlantic Shores, and South Fork Wind under NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act; some were dismissed for lack of standing, others are ongoing. In July 2025, a coalition of fishing interests filed an administrative petition asking Interior to rescind Vineyard Wind’s construction approval.22Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program. Federal Offshore Wind Deployment
State Targets and the Outlook
Eight East Coast states have collectively committed to about 45 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity. New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act requires 9 gigawatts by 2035, though only 130 megawatts were installed as of early 2025.34New York State Bar Association. The Winds of Change: The State of New York’s Offshore Wind Industry New Jersey had a 3,500-megawatt procurement target and now has no viable projects to meet it. Maine has set a goal of 5,000 megawatts from offshore and coastal wind by 2030.35National Conference of State Legislatures. State Renewable Portfolio Standards and Goals
Industry analysts and state officials have said these timelines are currently impossible to meet. An analyst at ClearView Energy Partners said even projects now under construction face the risk of fresh legal or regulatory challenges once their turbines become operational.36Stateline. Offshore Wind Triumphs Over Trump in Court, but Future Projects Face Delays Power purchase agreements for projects beyond those already being built are being priced well above earlier contracts, and tariffs on imported components — up to 245 percent on Chinese goods and 25 percent on Canadian and Mexican imports — add further cost pressure.34New York State Bar Association. The Winds of Change: The State of New York’s Offshore Wind Industry Four offshore wind leases had been terminated through federal buyback agreements by mid-2026, with the reimbursed money redirected into fossil fuel production.19Department of the Interior. Interior Announces Two Historic Agreements to Promote Affordable, Reliable Energy