U.S. Offshore Wind Projects Report Progress After Resuming Offshore Work
Three of the five offshore wind projects under construction in the northeast U.S. have each signaled this week strong progress. It comes after each project received preliminary injunctions against the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which had imposed stop-work orders in late December.
Speaking to investors on February 25, the executives of Iberdrola, one of the partners in Vineyard Wind 1 off the coast of Massachusetts, said as far as they are concerned, the project is complete. Executive Chairman Ignacio Galan said as an engineer, he sees the project as completed while confirming that 60 of the 62 wind turbines are now fully installed. CEO Pedro Azagra added that the project is between 80 and 85 percent operational, with between 52 and 55 of the turbines exporting electricity to the grid. They reported that the final two turbines would be installed in the coming days.
Reports have said the wind turbine installation vessel was contracted only until the end of February. It will need to depart promptly for its next assignment.
Speaking to investors earlier in the week, the executives of Dominion Energy also highlighted progress on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project near Virginia Beach. They said the progress on fabrication is excellent, with around 70 percent of the towers and 30 percent of the blades fabricated, which tracks well with the schedule.
The first turbine was mounted in January, but the company says it is deliberately moving slowly with the first turbines to be cautious and learn as they progress. CEO Robert Blue said, “We figuratively measure twice and cut once,” referencing an adage about carpenters’ work style. He said they were also encountering winter weather at the site, but that work is progressing. They did not say how many turbines are installed but continue to say they are on track to deliver the first electricity this quarter.
Dominion has scheduled turbine installation to continue possibly to July 2027, saying each additional quarter could cost $150 to $200 million in additional expenses for the project. They reported that BOEM’s suspension order in late December – early January had cost $228 million and said that the capital budget includes $580 million of actual and estimated costs from the Trump tariffs. They recognized $137 million in incremental tariff costs. The current capital budget is $11.5 billion, with $9.3 billion invested as of December 31. As a longer-term impact from Trump’s opposition to offshore wind, the company also reported that it lowered the future day rate assumptions for its installation vessel Charybdis.
Despite the costs and delays, Robert Blue told investors the company continues to see the project “as the fastest way to get a significant amount of electricity at a low-cost way for our customers who are leading the AI race, and who are building ships for the Navy.”
A status alert from Ørsted also revealed that turbine installation will soon begin at the Sunrise Wind project south of Massachusetts. The notice to mariners included a note that the Cadeler’s install vessel, Wind Scylla, is currently on dock at the Port of New London. It had previously been at the neighboring Revolution Wind site, but the details show that when it returns to sea, it is heading into the zone for Sunrise Wind.
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Sunrise Wind was the last of the projects to receive a preliminary injunction. It told the court that as of December 2025, the project was approximately 45 percent complete. It said 44 of 84 monopile foundations, as well as the offshore converter station, and nearshore export cables, were installed. It is scheduled to be completed in 2027.
The Trump administration recently filed a notice of appeal against another court order blocking the executive order that suspended reviews and approvals for all wind energy, both onshore and offshore. The five projects under construction each have all their approvals, but the administration has said it would appeal the preliminary injunctions against the stop-work order. The broader challenges to the administration’s contentions that the wind turbine blades and towers create radar interference risks are yet to be decided by the courts.
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