Sunrise Wind — Ørsted’s offshore wind project off Long Island, New York — can restart construction after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction that blocks the Trump administration’s stop-work order while the broader legal challenge continues.
What the court decision changes for Sunrise Wind
On 2 February 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction requested by Sunrise Wind LLC. The ruling allows Ørsted to resume “impacted activities” immediately as the lawsuit over the federal suspension order moves forward.
The decision concerns the Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm off the USA East Coast, one of five projects whose construction was halted in late December by an Interior Department order linked to national security concerns.
Why the Trump administration halted five offshore wind projects
The suspension order, issued in December 2025, targeted five projects under construction off the Atlantic coast. The administration argued that large offshore wind farms could interfere with radar systems and create false targets, potentially affecting USA defence.
Developers and several states challenged the move in court, arguing that the stop-work orders would cause irreparable harm to projects that are already advanced, with knock-on effects for supply chains, specialised installation vessels, and grid planning.
A broader legal pattern: all five projects can now move forward
Sunrise Wind was the last of the five suspended projects to secure an injunction. Earlier rulings had already allowed construction to resume on the other developments affected by the December order, including Ørsted’s Revolution Wind.
This means the full group of projects named in the suspension order can proceed during litigation, even as the underlying cases continue and the federal government’s national security argument remains contested.
How far along Sunrise Wind is, and what is at stake
Sunrise Wind is designed to supply renewable electricity to New York State and is expected to power hundreds of thousands of homes once operational. According to reporting cited in the court filings, the project is around 45% complete.
Ørsted has described Sunrise Wind as a major long-term investment in the USA. Reuters has reported that the company has invested more than $7 billion (about €5.9 billion) in the project so far.
What this signals for Nordic renewables in the USA and the EU market
For Ørsted — one of the Nordic region’s largest renewable energy companies — the injunction reduces immediate project risk, but it does not remove political uncertainty around offshore wind in the USA.
The dispute matters beyond New York: it is being watched closely by European developers, suppliers, and investors involved in transatlantic clean-energy buildouts. For the EU, offshore wind is a key pillar of decarbonisation plans, and any prolonged disruption in the USA market could reverberate through turbine manufacturing, cable supply, and specialised vessel availability that serve multiple regions.
What happens next
Construction can now continue, but the suspension order is still being challenged in court. The next steps will depend on how the lawsuit develops and whether the administration seeks to defend the national security rationale with additional evidence.
In the near term, Sunrise Wind’s return to work reduces the risk of further schedule slippage. In the medium term, the case is likely to remain a reference point for how offshore wind projects are assessed at the intersection of energy policy, permitting, and national security claims.
