Ørsted is seeking a court injunction against the Trump administration’s decision to suspend its work on a major wind farm project off the US northeast coast.
In the latest salvo between the US government and the offshore wind industry, the Danish company filed a legal challenge against the suspension in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday.
In a statement, Ørsted—the world’s largest offshore wind developer that is 50 percent owned by the Danish state—and its joint venture partner Skyborn Renewables, a unit of BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, said the US government’s order to suspend the lease on its Revolution Wind project was a violation of applicable law.
“Litigation is a necessary step to protect the rights of the project,” they said, warning that the project faced “substantial harm” if the suspension order remained in place.
Ørsted’s shares in Copenhagen rose more than 4 percent in morning trading on Friday.
The move comes 10 days after the Trump administration suspended leases on all large US offshore wind projects, citing national security concerns.
The offshore wind industry has come under pressure due to President Donald Trump’s long-standing animosity toward turbines and his focus on US fossil fuels. Ørsted has faced a series of political and economic challenges amid attacks from the administration against an industry that has been dominated by European companies rather than US players.