US Judge weighs Dominion's request to restart Virginia offshore Wind Project Stopped by Trump
In a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration, a federal judge will decide on Friday whether to allow Dominion Energy?to resume construction on its $11.2 billion Virginia offshore wind project.
This hearing will be the third in a row this week that a federal judge will consider a challenge to an Interior Department order from December 22, filed by a developer of offshore wind.
Dominion’s?Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind? is one of the five projects Trump’s Interior Department paused last month. The reason given was classified information about risks to national safety from radar interference.
The judges of the U.S. federal court in Washington have granted temporary orders to two companies: Denmark's Equinor and Norway's Orsted, allowing them both to resume construction in the U.S. Northeast.
The pause would irreparably harm their projects, they argued.
Court decisions are of high importance to companies and shareholders, as they may allow multi-billion dollar projects to be completed. However, underlying lawsuits?and the government's opposition to offshore wind?will continue to cause uncertainty.
Trump has repeatedly disrupted offshore?wind developers, saying that wind turbines are ugly and inefficient.
Dominion said in court documents that it has already spent $9 billion on the project, and will lose $5 million per day if there is a pause.
It is estimated that the facility will provide enough electricity to power 600,000. Blake Brittain reported from Norfolk, Virginia; Nicholl Groom edited in Los Angeles.
(source: Reuters)
