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The troubled U.S. offshore wind industry cleared two more hurdles on Friday, as the 700 MW Revolution Wind offshore Rhode Island became the third offshore wind project to start delivering power, and the 800 MW Vineyard Wind 1 off the coast of Massachusetts completed construction.
Both projects faced delays after the Trump administration issued a blanket stop-work order on Dec. 22 that halted construction of the five offshore wind projects under development in federal waters, citing national security concerns. Federal judges ultimately ruled in favor of the five projects, allowing them to resume.
Revolution Wind previously won an injunction against a September Trump stop-work order that directed specifically to this project and also cited national security concerns. The project is being developed by Ørsted’s Skyborn Renewables and Global Infrastructure Partners.
The project is nearing completion and “is expected to provide enough electricity to power more than 350,000 homes and businesses,” Ørsted said. “The project will provide power under 20-year fixed-price agreements with power companies in Rhode Island and Connecticut.”
On Friday, Vineyard Wind 1 completed physical construction by installing its final turbine, The New Bedford Light reported – although some turbines still need to undergo commissioning and testing before being brought online. Vineyard Wind 1 is currently supplying power to the Massachusetts grid. The project is the largest to be completed in the US to date.
“This marks a significant advance for the North American market, which currently has a single fully operational commercial-scale wind farm,” Oceantic Network said in a statement on Saturday. That farm is the 130 MW South Fork Wind, which started delivering power to Long Island in early 2024.
