Orsted will file a complaint in the US District Court for the District of Columbia challenging a lease suspension order issued in December by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for the 924MW Sunrise Wind project.
The company said the filing will be followed by a motion for a preliminary injunction.
Orsted added that it continues to seek a constructive resolution with the Trump administration and other stakeholders but believes the lease suspension order violates applicable law.
The developer stated that the project faces substantial harm from any continuation of the order and that litigation is now a necessary step to protect its rights.
Sunrise Wind secured all required local, state, and federal permits following what it described as extensive multi-year reviews.
The company noted that the permitting process included years-long consultation with the US Department of Defense Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse to address potential impacts to national security and defence capabilities.
Those consultations resulted in a fully executed formal agreement between the Department of War, the Department of the Air Force, and Sunrise Wind outlining mitigation measures by the project, according to the developer.
Orsted stated that it has spent and committed billions of dollars in reliance upon the review process and that additional federal approvals included the US Coast Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, and other agencies.
The project is in advanced stages of construction and is nearly 45% complete.
Orsted said it has installed 44 of 84 monopile foundations as well as the offshore converter station at the offshore wind farm.
Construction of the onshore electric infrastructure is substantially complete and near-shore export cables have been installed, added the company.
At the time of the lease suspension order, the project was expected to begin generating power as soon as October 2026.
Orsted stated that the project will deliver reliable power and increased stability to the electric grid at a time of rising energy demand.
The developer added that industry experts forecast increased risks to reliability without the project’s completion.
The project will deliver affordable power at a stable rate to nearly 600,000 homes once fully operational in 2027 under a 25-year contract with the State of New York, according to Orsted.
The company said the scheme has supported thousands of American jobs across construction, operations, shipbuilding, and manufacturing.
It added that more than 1,000 union workers have contributed over 1 million union work hours to the project.
On 1 January 2026, Revolution Wind, a 50/50 joint venture between Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables and Ørsted, made similar filings in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.