Revolution Wind fully operational, Ørsted reports

Offshore wind developer Ørsted said Thursday its 704-megawatt turbine array Revolution Wind off southern New England has achieved full operation, exporting power to Connecticut and Rhode Island customers.

Located about 15 miles south of Rhode Island, the project’s 65 turbines were completed weeks before the Trump administration mounted another unsuccessful attempt in federal court to void Ørsted’s construction and operations permit.

Ørsted announced the news in a No. 5 earnings call. In a summary the Danish energy company said it “completed the installation of the remaining wind turbines at the 704 MW Revolution Wind offshore wind farm in the U.S. In October the project achieved commercial operations under its offtake contracts with utilities in the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island.”

Meanwhile, Ørsted also noted it has “completed installation of all wind turbine foundations at Sunrise Wind in the U.S.,” its 924 MW rated project 30.5 miles east of Montauk, N.Y.

Rhode Island contracted for 400 megawatts of Revolution Wind’s output and 304 MW is dedicated to Connecticut. Renewable energy advocates cheered the survival of Revolution Wind, one of five major wind projects off the East Coast to survive the Trump campaign to shut them down.

“Revolution Wind is a major win for Rhode Island’s workforce and our state’s energy future,” said Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee.

 “Helping bring this project to completion has been a highlight of my administration, from the good-paying jobs it has created for hardworking union workers to our successful work to protect it from interference by the Trump Administration. This project reflects our commitment to an all-of-the-above energy strategy and to supporting investments that create opportunities for Rhode Islanders.”

Weeks after Ørsted installed the final turbine for Revolution Wind project, the U.S. Department of Interior filed a motion in federal court Oct. 9 in connection with a 2024 lawsuit by Green Oceans, an anti-wind energy group, that challenged approvals for Revolution Wind and South Fork Wind, two both Ørsted ventures off southern New England.

The 704-megawatt turbine array is on track to begin producing full power by the end of 2026, with contracts for utilities in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

That motion was the latest in months of administration attempts to derail wind power projects approved by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management during the Biden administration.

In the Green Oceans/Revolution Wind case, Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, had reprieved Revolution Wind twice from the administration’s efforts to stop work on the project.

The Trump administration has had more success blocking projects that have not started construction, in several cases buying out wind developers so they abandon plans.