A federal stop-work order on a nearly complete offshore wind project has been lifted following a judge's order Tuesday, according to The New York Times.
The project, known as Vineyard Wind 1, was 95% finished when the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a stop-work order Dec. 22.
Construction of the first-of-its-kind wind farm, located 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard, commenced in June 2023. Its blades began whirring Jan. 2, 2024, and by February of that year, Vineyard Wind 1 was delivering affordable clean energy to Massachusetts homes.
At the time, the Bay State celebrated the milestone with a press release projecting that the wind farm would "save customers $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation."
Vineyard Wind 1 was one of five offshore wind projects targeted in what the Times called a "sweeping decision" to halt construction. The BOEM alluded to "the national security implications of offshore wind projects," citing classified Department of Defense briefings.
Federal District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy reviewed the sealed, classified reports before ruling and said the government did not "adequately explain or justify the decision to halt construction" on Vineyard Wind 1 and the four other wind farms.
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When construction was halted, 61 of 62 wind turbines had been installed; developers told the court that the cessation of construction cost them $2 million a day while the order was in place.
Utility Dive reported that Judge Murphy's ruling came at a critical time for Vineyard Wind 1's developers, who warned of a key Jan. 30 deadline.
"The remaining construction requires a specialized vessel that is available only until March 31," Vineyard Wind said, adding that a later ruling would jeopardize the project's completion.
Amid escalating energy costs and clean energy policy headwinds, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey lauded the ruling as "an important development for Massachusetts ratepayers and workers," per the Times, and noted that the project created thousands of well-paying jobs in the state.
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$200 or more 💰 Hillary Bright of Turn Ahead, a group advocating for offshore wind projects, told the Times that Vineyard Wind 1 ensured Massachusetts homes kept power during the previous weekend's massive, multistate snowstorm.
"Vineyard Wind already produces power from previously installed turbines. Initial readings from New England suggest that it performed very strongly during this weekend's storm, turning harsh winter winds into critical power supplies," Bright explained, per the Times.
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