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THE BLUEPRINT:
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Federal judge grants injunction allowing Sunrise Wind to resume work
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Ørsted‘s 924-megawatt project is located 30 miles off Montauk
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Trump administration suspended five wind project leases in December
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Project is nearly 45% complete and expected to power 600,000 homes
Sunrise Wind, the 924-megawatt offshore wind project that Ørsted is developing 30 miles off Montauk, can resume construction, after being granted a preliminary injunction Monday to overturn the federal government’s suspension order.
The $700 million Sunrise Wind now joins the other four offshore wind projects to win orders from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to resume after the U.S. Department of the Interior suspended the leases of five offshore wind power projects on Dec. 22, citing a Pentagon complaint that the wind turbine blades would cause radar interference and create a national security risk.
President Trump has long railed against wind power, calling the turbines ugly and inefficient, a criticism that’s been echoed for offshore projects by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is now running for governor with Trump’s endorsement. The move to suspend the wind projects was slammed by state and local officials, trade groups and organized labor, and the court injunctions to allow them to continue have been applauded.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said the court decision allowing Sunrise Wind to immediately resume construction is a win for New York’s working families and the economy.
“As energy costs continue to soar, the Trump administration’s ridiculous attempts to halt this project would have killed good-paying jobs and raised energy costs on New Yorkers — all to score political points and benefit powerful special interests,” Gillibrand said in a written statement. “I will continue pushing back on the Trump administration’s brazen political attacks on New York that are raising costs and hurting families. New Yorkers should not be forced to pay more because of reckless and politically motivated interference by the Trump administration.”
Sunrise Wind is nearly 45 percent complete, and at the time of the lease suspension order, the project was expected to begin generating power as soon as October. The project is expected to provide enough energy to power about 600,000 homes.
In its court argument, Sunrise Wind claimed that the stop-work order was costing the project at least $1.25 million per day, and if the suspension lasted much longer, it could force cancellation of the project.
Empire Wind, a $5 billion wind power project off Long Island being developed by Equinor, won its court injunction on Jan. 15. The other three wind projects that can now resume include Revolution Wind, which is another Ørsted project off Rhode Island, Vineyard Wind for Massachusetts and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind.
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David Winzelberg
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