Dominion Energy Resumes Work On Offshore Wind Project, Remains On Schedule

By Bay Journal, Maryland Matters

January 27, 2026

Judge Jamar Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has granted Dominion Energy’s request for a preliminary injunction, allowing the utility to resume work on its $11.2 billion offshore wind project.

The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project’s 176 turbines are expected to bring 2.6 gigawatts of energy to the grid, enough to power up to 660,000 homes.

The U.S. Department of the Interior in late December ordered a 90-day suspension of work for the project off Virginia Beach, citing national security concerns. In response, the utility filed a lawsuit to challenge the stop work order.

During a hearing on that suit, Walker said the federal government’s concerns were too broad to target Dominion’s project. He added that the listed risks applied only to wind farm operations and not construction.

Judge denies US Wind request to halt Trump administration attacks

Virginia’s Democratic Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, along with Virginia Democratic Reps. Bobby Scott and Jennifer McClellan, issued a statement applauding Walker’s decision Jan. 16 decision the same day it was issued.

“This project has already undergone years of rigorous review and is poised to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy while creating thousands of good-paying jobs in Hampton Roads,” the statement said. “CVOW represents the kind of investment in domestic energy our region and nation need.”

The utility said it will find a solution and cooperate with the federal government while the lawsuit and project proceed. Despite the delay, Dominion Energy spokesperson Jeremy Slayton said the project is on schedule and expected to begin generating power by the end of March.

The ruling comes as the Trump administration has ordered a halt to five major wind farms off the East Coast, some of which were nearing completion, claiming national security concerns.

A separate wind farm proposed by US Wind off the coast of Ocean City is currently tied up in court over threats by the Interior Department to revisit and reverse construction permits issued for the project in the waning days of the Biden administration. US Wind has argued that further delalys in the project, which was nearing construction, could not only scuttle the project but could send the company toward bankruptcy.

The US Wind project envisions as many as 121 turbines about 10 miles off the coast that could ultimately produce up to 2 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 600,000 homes in the region.