Offshore Wind Farms Advance Off Rhode Island Coast Amid U.S. Policy Shifts

Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind are offshore wind projects being built to power about 1 million homes across Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. Revolution Wind is more than 90% complete. It recently began delivering power to New England’s grid, and it’s on track to be completed this year.

Sunrise Wind construction is nearly 50% complete. Orsted is developing both projects. Sunrise Wind is a mix of installed turbines and empty yellow foundations that still await their towers and blades.

South Fork Wind, the first large U.S. offshore wind farm, borders Revolution Wind and has been operating commercially since 2024. Its 12 turbines can provide power for more than 70,000 homes in New York. When South Fork opened in 2024, Biden administration officials said it was just the beginning — major new wind farms would dot U.S. coastlines to confront climate change, create jobs and accelerate the nation’s transition to clean energy.

Less than a year after South Fork Wind opened, President Donald Trump returned to office and ordered a temporary halt to leasing and permitting for wind energy projects. The administration paused work on wind farms under construction, arranged a $1 billion payout to a French energy company to walk away from U.S. offshore wind development and added an extra layer of review for wind and solar projects.

Federal judges have struck down some of his orders blocking wind energy development, including a ruling Tuesday stopping the administration from implementing some of the policies slowing the development of clean energy.

Electricity demand in the United States is increasing, with limited options for new large energy projects in coastal states. The executive director of the offshore wind advocacy group Turn Forward said that these energy policies affect utility bills.