by Brandon Jarvis and Sean Jones
The U.S. Department of the Interior ordered construction of five offshore wind projects to be halted on Monday, including one owned by Dominion Energy off the coast of Virginia. Dominion is pushing back, saying the 90-day pause poses a threat to energy grid reliability.
The Interior Department cited national security risks outlined by the Department of War in recently completed classified reports.
“This pause will give the Department, along with the Department of War and other relevant government agencies, time to work with leaseholders and state partners to assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects,” the Interior Department said in its announcement.
Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which began construction last year, is the nation’s largest offshore wind project and is expected to generate enough power for 660,000 homes when completed.
The Interior Department also paused leases on four other wind projects off Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts.
“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,” Dominion Energy said in a statement Monday.
“CVOW is American-owned and benefits all of our Virginia customers. Our customers are paying for the project after a careful review of project costs and benefits by Virginia state regulators in 2022,” Dominion continued. “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.”
CVOW is an essential component of Virginia’s plan to achieve carbon-free electricity by 2050. The Virginia Clean Economy Act requires 5.2 GW of offshore wind to come online by 2035, while Dominion has committed to achieving net-zero carbon and methane emissions across its 13 states by 2050.
Dominion says the CVOW is “within months of generating a massive 2,600 megawatts to support the fastest growing part of America’s energy grid.”
Monday’s move represents an escalation in the Trump Administration’s attack on wind projects. An executive order was issued last January to end new leases for offshore wind projects in federal waters. The administration also issued a stop order on Empire Wind, off the coast of Long Island, New York, in April, which was lifted a month later.
In Virginia, CVOW has largely enjoyed bipartisan support among legislators who see it as a means to reach energy independence, while boosting local jobs and the economy.
Speaker of the House Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, accused President Donald Trump of trying to create a distraction.
“With just a few months before the offshore wind project begins generating power, Trump stops the project to distract from the Epstein files, his failure on the economy, and the healthcare premium spike he is causing,” Scott wrote on social media.
The Office of the Attorney General Jason Miyares declined to comment. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
“We stand ready to do what is necessary to get these vital electrons flowing as quickly as possible,” Dominion said Monday.