Revolution Wind turbines and idle service vessels off the coast as construction pauses during federal review
Rhode Island (offshore), August 24, 2025
A federal offshore energy office issued an order requiring work on the Revolution Wind project to stop while it conducts a new review tied to a presidential executive order. At the time of the halt most turbines were already installed and the developer said the project was about 80% complete. The pause raises concerns about hundreds of union jobs, regional clean energy plans, higher consumer costs, and investor uncertainty. Ørsted says it is complying, engaging agencies and weighing legal options while aiming to minimize environmental and worker impacts and to resume on a previous timeline if cleared.
Federal officials ordered a stop to construction on the Revolution Wind offshore wind farm, pausing work that developers say is roughly 80 percent complete. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), an agency inside the Department of the Interior, sent a written order dated August 22 requiring the developer to halt all ongoing activities until BOEM finishes a review prompted by a presidential executive order earlier this year.
Acting BOEM leadership issued the late-August order directing Ørsted and its partners to stop work immediately and not to resume activities until BOEM completes a necessary review. BOEM cited concerns tied to national security and the prevention of interference with reasonable uses of the exclusive economic zone, the high seas, and territorial seas. BOEM did not publish details of specific security problems in its public notice.
Revolution Wind is a 704-megawatt wind farm planned to include 65 turbines. Reports indicate 45 turbines had been installed when the halt was ordered. The developer Ørsted has said the overall project is about 80 percent complete. Onshore work began more than two years ago and crews moved offshore in spring 2024. The first turbine at the site, located roughly 15 miles south of Little Compton and about 32 miles southeast of Connecticut’s coast, was installed in September 2024. Developers had planned to start feeding power to the grid next year.
The wind farm is led by Ørsted in partnership arrangements variously described in reporting as a 50/50 tie with Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables or as a joint project with a regional utility. The project was staged in part at the Port of Providence and the Quonset Business Park. It is a multibillion-dollar development, reported in one passage as a $4 billion effort.
Contracts divide the farm’s output across two states. Rhode Island is set to receive 400 megawatts of capacity while Connecticut will get 304 megawatts. Developers say the wind farm will generate enough power for about 350,000 households. A contract with Rhode Island Energy sets a flat price of 9.8 cents per kilowatt-hour for power from the project, and at the time of approval that deal was projected to save ratepayers around $90 million over the life of the contract by displacing high-cost winter fossil fuel generation.
Ørsted said it is complying with the BOEM order and is taking steps to stop offshore activities safely, including measures to protect workers and the environment. The company said it is evaluating options to resolve the matter quickly, from engagement with permitting agencies to possible legal proceedings. Ørsted noted an aim to reach commercial operation in the second half of 2026 and said it is assessing potential financial impacts under a range of scenarios.
State leaders and industry groups pushed back sharply. Rhode Island and Connecticut officials said the pause threatens jobs and energy affordability. State officials warned that hundreds of union positions are at risk and that the move will raise electricity costs while undermining years of state investment aimed at diversifying the region’s energy supply. Attorneys general and members of Congress from the state pledged to seek ways to reverse the order. Industry trade groups and clean-energy advocates framed the action as politically driven and said it undermines investor confidence while disrupting supply and local economic activity. Local clean-energy supporters also said the pause puts a state climate law and long-term plans at risk.
BOEM said the halt follows a presidential executive order from January directing a review of offshore wind expansion. This is the second time the current administration has moved to pause work on a large offshore project; an earlier stop order affecting another Atlantic project was issued in April and reversed about a month later. Revolution Wind had received federal approvals under the prior administration, including final federal sign-off in December. Separately, other regional offshore projects face growing uncertainty under the same policy environment.
The project has used local ports and yards for staging and construction and involved union labor. Industry statements noted that more than a thousand workers logged millions of union work hours on the project, and officials warned that a sudden halt will ripple through supply chains, shipyards, and ports tied to offshore wind work.
BOEM said work can only resume after it completes its review and informs the developer. State officials, attorneys general, and the project partners said they would pursue all available options, including agency engagement and legal action. The coming weeks will likely determine whether the pause becomes a longer delay or whether construction resumes after a short federal review.
Revolution Wind is a proposed 704-megawatt offshore wind farm planned to include 65 turbines and to provide power to Rhode Island and Connecticut.
BOEM ordered a halt so the agency can complete a review prompted by a presidential executive order aimed at tightening oversight of offshore wind. BOEM cited concerns tied to national security and potential interference with marine uses, without listing specific details.
Developers report the project is about 80 percent complete. At the time of the stop order, 45 of the planned 65 turbines had been installed.
The site is about 15 miles south of Little Compton, Rhode Island, and roughly 32 miles southeast of the Connecticut coastline.
State officials, industry groups, and labor leaders say the pause places hundreds of union jobs at risk and could affect related work at local ports and supply chains.
The developer is complying with the order, engaging with permit agencies, and evaluating legal options. BOEM must complete its review before work can restart.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 704 megawatts |
| Planned turbines | 65 |
| Turbines installed at halt | 45 |
| Completion reported | About 80 percent |
| Location | About 15 miles south of Little Compton, RI (also described as 32 miles southeast of CT) |
| Power allocation | Rhode Island 400 MW, Connecticut 304 MW |
| Contract price for RI | 9.8 cents per kWh |
| Staging locations | Port of Providence, Quonset Business Park |
| Developer | Ørsted (with reported partners including Skyborn Renewables/GIP and regional utility partners) |
| Projected operation | Aim for commercial operation in second half of 2026 (developer goal) |
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