By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Dominion Energy has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block a Trump administration order that halted construction on its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia shortly after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a stop-work order pausing offshore construction.
As previously reported by The Center Square, the order affects five offshore wind projects along the East Coast, including Dominion’s project near Virginia Beach.
Dominion is asking the court to allow construction to continue while federal agencies review potential national security concerns tied to offshore wind development.
The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is located roughly 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach and is in the later stages of construction. Dominion has said major offshore and onshore components are either completed or underway, and that the project operates on a tightly scheduled construction timeline.
In its court filing, Dominion argues the stop-work order is unlawful and says the pause is causing immediate and irreparable harm to the project. The company says construction on the offshore wind project operates year-round and relies on specialized installation vessels that must be scheduled years in advance.
Dominion states that halting work has resulted in more than $5 million per day in losses tied to vessel services, along with additional costs related to idle crews, equipment storage, and contractual penalties.
In its court filing, Dominion argues that keeping construction on schedule is critical and that delays at this stage could prevent later construction phases from moving forward and jeopardize timely completion of the project.
The company also says prolonged delays could affect U.S. jobs tied to the project. According to the filing, the offshore wind development supports approximately 2,000 direct and indirect jobs and generates economic activity through wages, benefits, and tax revenues in Virginia.
Dominion says the project is expected to begin generating electricity in early 2026 and produce 9.5 million megawatt hours per year, enough to power around 660,000 homes.
Federal officials say the 90-day pause is intended to give agencies time to reassess national security concerns tied to offshore wind development, including potential radar interference related to turbine blades and towers. The Department of the Interior has said the review period could last up to 90 days.
Dominion’s lawsuit names the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and asks the court to block the stop-work order while the case moves forward.
A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for Dec. 29 in Norfolk on Dominion’s request for emergency relief, according to a court order.