Top 10 US Offshore Wind Projects at Risk from Policy Shifts in 2024 and 2025
The United States offshore wind industry has entered a severe downturn, shifting from a period of federally-backed growth to one of active suppression driven by major policy reversals in 2024 and 2025. This downturn is not the result of market forces or technological failures, but of direct federal intervention. The primary catalysts include a January 2025 executive order pausing all new wind leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf and a subsequent Department of the Interior directive on December 22, 2025, that suspended construction on all five major offshore wind farms. These actions, justified by national security concerns cited by the Pentagon, have effectively frozen a multi-billion dollar industry. The dominant theme for 2025 is extreme policy and regulatory risk, which has erased investor confidence and jeopardized the entire domestic supply chain, making the national goal of 30 GW by 2030 unfeasible.
1. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW)
Developer: Dominion Energy
Capacity: 2, 600 MW (2.6 GW)
Status: Halted. As one of the five projects named in the Department of the Interior’s stop-work order, construction was suspended on December 22, 2025, due to national security risks identified by the Department of Defense.
Source: Trump halts big wind projects including CVOW, Dominion stock …
2. Attentive Energy One
Developer: Total Energies, Rise Light & Power, Corio Generation
Capacity: 1, 404 MW
Status: Canceled. On April 19, 2024, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced it failed to finalize agreements for the project, a decision largely attributed to GE Vernova’s move away from its planned 18 MW turbine.
Source: Major offshore wind projects in New York canceled in latest blow to …
3. Community Offshore Wind (New York Award)
Developer: RWE, National Grid Ventures
Capacity: 1, 314 MW
Status: Canceled. This project was terminated in the same April 19, 2024, announcement from NYSERDA, which cited a failure to reach final agreements following changes in turbine manufacturing plans.
Source: 3 offshore wind projects nixed in New York – E&E News by POLITICO
4. Excelsior Wind
Developer: Vineyard Offshore (Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners)
Capacity: 1, 314 MW
Status: Canceled. This was the third major project terminated by NYSERDA on April 19, 2024, for failing to secure a final contract amidst supply chain instability.
Source: Major offshore wind projects in New York canceled in latest blow to …
5. Sunrise Wind
Developer: Ørsted
Capacity: 924 MW
Status: Halted. Construction on the New York project was suspended as part of the five-project stop-work order issued by the Department of the Interior on December 22, 2025.
Source: US halts offshore wind projects, citing national security concerns
6. Vineyard Wind 1
Developer: Avangrid, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP)
Capacity: 806 MW
Status: Halted. The suspension of the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm on December 22, 2025, dealt a major blow to the industry, compounding earlier operational delays.
Source: Trump administration puts offshore wind projects on hold, citing …
7. Empire Wind 1
Developer: Equinor
Capacity: 810 MW
Status: Halted. Equinor complied with the December 22, 2025, suspension order. While the stop-work order was reportedly lifted in May 2026, the project remains at high risk due to the broader hostile policy environment.
Source: U.S. Offshore Wind Developers Stop Work and Explore Next Steps
8. Revolution Wind
Developer: Ørsted
Capacity: 704 MW
Status: Halted. This project, intended to serve Rhode Island and Connecticut, was the fifth project included in the sweeping federal stop-work order of December 22, 2025.
Source: US pauses five offshore wind projects – re News
9. Community Offshore Wind (RWE Lease Portfolio)
Developer: RWE
Capacity: 3, 000 MW (3 GW)
Status: Development Halted. Citing “political developments, ” German developer RWE announced on April 25, 2025, that it had stopped all U.S. offshore wind development, freezing one of the largest project pipelines.
Source: Major offshore wind developer has stopped activities in United States
10. US Wind Project (Maryland)
Developer: US Wind
Capacity: Approximately 1, 100 MW
Status: At Risk of De-Authorization. An August 26, 2025, court filing revealed plans by the administration to withdraw federal approval for the project, placing it in legal and regulatory peril despite state-level challenges.
Source: Trump administration plans to cancel approval of Maryland offshore …
Table: Top 10 U.S. Offshore Wind Projects Impacted by 2024-2025 Policy Shifts
| Project Name | Capacity (MW) | Developer(s) | Status as of Dec 2025 | Reason for Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) | 2, 600 | Dominion Energy | Construction Halted | Federal stop-work order (Pentagon security concerns) |
| Attentive Energy One | 1, 404 | Total Energies, Rise Light & Power, Corio Generation | Canceled | NYSERDA contract termination (turbine supply issues) |
| Community Offshore Wind (NY Award) | 1, 314 | RWE, National Grid Ventures | Canceled | NYSERDA contract termination (turbine supply issues) |
| Excelsior Wind | 1, 314 | Vineyard Offshore (CIP) | Canceled | NYSERDA contract termination (turbine supply issues) |
| Sunrise Wind | 924 | Ørsted | Construction Halted | Federal stop-work order (Pentagon security concerns) |
| Vineyard Wind 1 | 806 | Avangrid, CIP | Construction Halted | Federal stop-work order (Pentagon security concerns) |
| Empire Wind 1 | 810 | Equinor | Construction Halted | Federal stop-work order (Pentagon security concerns) |
| Revolution Wind | 704 | Ørsted | Construction Halted | Federal stop-work order (Pentagon security concerns) |
| Community Offshore Wind (RWE Lease) | 3, 000 | RWE | Development Halted | Developer ceased all US activity due to political risk |
| US Wind Project (Maryland) | 1, 100 | US Wind | At Risk of De-Authorization | Administration plans to rescind federal approval |
Offshore Wind Supply Chain, Investor Confidence Evaporates After RWE Exit
The abrupt halt to the U.S. offshore wind build-out extends far beyond the named projects, creating a chilling effect across the entire value chain. The cancellations and suspensions represent stranded capital for developers and financiers, but the secondary impacts are equally severe. Billions in planned investments for a domestic supply chain—including turbine and foundation manufacturing, port upgrades, and specialized installation vessels—are now in jeopardy. The decision by German energy giant RWE on April 25, 2025, to cease all U.S. development activities serves as a powerful signal of this loss of confidence. This move by a major European utility indicates that the perceived political risk in the U.S. market now outweighs the potential rewards, a sentiment that deter future international investment.
US East Coast, European Giants like Ørsted and Equinor Face Billions in Risk
The impact of the federal policy reversal is geographically concentrated along the U.S. East Coast, the epicenter of the nation’s offshore wind ambitions. States like New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, which had set aggressive procurement targets, now face the collapse of their clean energy strategies. The financial exposure is most acute for the experienced European energy companies that had led the charge into the U.S. market. Developers like Denmark’s Ørsted and Norway’s Equinor, which are leading multiple projects now under a stop-work order, have billions of dollars in investment at risk. These companies brought critical expertise and capital to the U.S. but are now caught in a political vise, forcing a complete re-evaluation of their American portfolios.
55.9 GW Pipeline, Offshore Wind Commercial Scaling Frozen by Federal Policy
These project halts are critically damaging because they target ventures at the commercialization stage, not just early-phase development. Projects like Vineyard Wind 1, the nation’s first utility-scale farm, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) were meant to prove the technology’s viability at scale in the U.S. and drive down costs through industrial learning. The federal actions have frozen this crucial scaling phase. The total planned capacity pipeline, which stood at a promising 55.9 GW in Q 3 2024, was slashed to 25.4 GW by Q 3 2025. This is not a market correction; it is a policy-driven amputation of the industry’s growth trajectory, preventing the technology from achieving the economies of scale necessary for widespread adoption.
Dominion Energy’s 2.6 GW CVOW Project and the Path Forward for Offshore Wind
If the U.S. offshore wind industry is to recover, watch for a complete and durable reversal of the federal policies enacted in 2025. There are currently no available commercial or technical workarounds for the existing federal stop-work orders and leasing moratorium; the path forward is purely political and legal.
- The single most significant barrier is the December 22, 2025, Department of the Interior directive halting all five major construction projects. Any recovery is contingent on this order being rescinded.
- The January 20, 2025, executive order preventing new leases on the Outer Continental Shelf must be reversed to allow for any future project pipeline growth beyond the currently stalled projects.
- The exit of major developer RWE in April 2025 demonstrates that long-term political stability, not just a temporary reprieve, will be required to lure back the large-scale international investment needed for the industry to scale.
- Legal challenges, such as Delaware’s November 2025 court brief to protect the US Wind Project, represent a potential avenue of resistance but face an uphill battle against federal administrative actions.
The questions your competitors are already asking
This report covers one angle of the severe policy and regulatory risks impacting the US offshore wind market. The questions that matter most depend on your work.
- Which offshore wind developers like Dominion Energy and TotalEnergies are losing ground due to the 2025 federal policy shifts?
- What is the outlook for US offshore wind deployment, and is the national goal of 30 GW by 2030 now unfeasible?
- What is actually happening with the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project since the December 22, 2025 stop-work order?
- Who are the key domestic supply chain partners for projects like CVOW, and how are they impacted by the industry-wide construction freeze?
This report does not answer these. Enki Brief Pro does.
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