Press Release: Court Ruling Allows Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind to Resume Construction Following December Federal Suspension
For Immediate Release: January 16, 2026
Media Contact: Holly Elliott, hollye@sewind.org
Norfolk, V.A. - January 16, 2025 - Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted the preliminary injunction sought by Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) regarding the December 22, 2025 suspension order issued by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The court’s action will allow CVOW to restart impacted activities immediately while the underlying lawsuit challenging the December 22, 2025 BOEM Director’s orders progresses. The lawsuit seeks judicial review of BOEM’s December 22, 2025 orders that immediately halted work on the five fully permitted and partly constructed offshore wind projects, including CVOW.
“The Southeastern Wind Coalition (SEWC) applauds today’s ruling that allows Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind to resume construction. This decision highlights the real economic stakes tied to CVOW, representing billions of dollars in long-term investment, hundreds of jobs, and a critical source of new power for one of the fastest-growing energy markets in our country. Allowing this project to move forward provides certainty for workers, suppliers, and communities while helping to keep energy costs stable for Virginia customers,” said SEWC’s President, Katharine Kollins.
Earlier this week, similar court rulings allowed Revolution Wind and Empire Wind to resume construction, reaffirming the importance of regulatory certainty and due process for energy projects already underway.
About SEWC
The Southeastern Wind Coalition is a 501(c)(3), nonpartisan organization that works to advance the land-based and offshore wind industry in the Southeast. We focus on providing fact-based information on the economic and environmental opportunities of wind energy, and encourage solutions that result in net economic benefits to residents and ratepayers. For more information about the Southeastern Wind Coalition, visit www.sewind.org