The U.S. Department of the Interior halted five offshore wind projects, including a Virginia-based project, on Monday.
The federal department announced it is pausing all leases for large-scale offshore wind projects that are currently under construction, effective immediately, according to a press release published by the Department of the Interior. The pause will affect Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, along with Vineyard Wind 1 off the coast of Massachusetts, Revolution Wind off the coast of Rhode Island, and Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind 1 projects, both off the coast of New York.
The department cited national security risks that were identified by the Department of Defense in what they referred to as “recently completed classified reports.” The department said the pause will give the Trump administration time to work with leaseholders and states to assess the possibility of mitigating the risks.
The Trump administration has repeatedly sought to halt the offshore wind sector, and President Donald Trump has called wind turbines a “disgrace” and “a scam” and has said his administration would not approve any projects, according to Politico, which first reported the halt.
Dominion Energy shot back on Monday, calling the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, or CVOW, “essential for American national security.”
[Disclosure: Dominion is one of our donors, but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy.]
Dominion spokesperson Aaron Ruby added that the project is essential to the commonwealth’s dramatically growing energy needs.
“This growth is driven by the need to provide reliable power to many of America’s most important war fighting installations, the world’s largest warship manufacturer, and the largest concentration of data centers on the planet as well as the leading edge of the AI revolution,” he said. “Stopping CVOW for any length of time will threaten grid reliability for some of the nation’s most important war fighting, AI, and civilian assets. It will also lead to energy inflation and threaten thousands of jobs.”
The pause is slated to last 90 days, according to Dominion. Ruby added that the project is American-owned and that the energy company’s customers are paying for the project after a careful review of costs and benefits by Virginia state regulators in 2022. The project was previously slated for completion in 2026 and is expected to power the equivalent of 660,000 homes. The project is expected to cost roughly $11 billion.
“These same state regulators, along with numerous federal agencies, oversee our cyber and physical security program, which is among the strongest in the energy industry,” he added. “We stand ready to do what is necessary to get these vital electrons flowing as quickly as possible.”
Virginia’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, along with Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, condemned the pause as a “reckless, haphazard approach” in a joint statement.
“Despite our senior roles on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, the administration has failed to share any new information that supports this sudden and sweeping move to halt all offshore wind development, including a project off the coast of Virginia that is already almost complete and operational,” the statement read. “When a project that has met every requirement is suddenly stopped without explanation, it is fair to ask whether this decision is being driven by evidence, or by personal and political grievance.”
The three members of Congress added that the pause puts billions of dollars in private investment at risk, threatens thousands of good-paying American jobs coming to a veteran-heavy area, undermines energy security and damages the credibility of the United States government.
Virginia’s Democratic governor-elect, Abigail Spanberger, said in a statement Monday that she is prepared to work with Virginia industry and elected officials on both sides of the aisle to make sure the project is complete.
“Halting this project not only risks higher rates for consumers, but leaves Virginia vulnerable to grid disruptions and national security risks,” she said.
The project, which has received bipartisan support from members of Congress, including Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, has been more than 10 years in the works. Its two pilot turbines have been operating for five years without causing any impacts to national security, Ruby said.
He added that the project involved close coordination with the military and is located 27 to 44 miles offshore of Virginia Beach — Kiggans’ district.
“I have been working with the Department of the Interior and Governor Youngkin for months to safeguard Virginia’s Coastal Offshore Wind Project, and I am deeply disappointed by this news,” Kiggans said in a statement. “This new directive will negatively affect Hampton Roads, thousands of workers and the amount of energy that can be produced. It will also undermine military readiness.”
She said, “halting [the project] at this stage is disastrous for our energy security, our local economy, and our national security as it relates to military readiness.”
Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has repeatedly said that he is in support of an “all-of-the-above” energy plan. His office did not respond to a request for comment regarding the halt in offshore wind projects.