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Ørsted Starts Commercial Operations on Its Second US Offshore Wind Farm

offshore wind farm
Orsted said Revolution Wind has completed commissioning and is now in commercial operations (Orsted US)

By The Maritime Executive 2026-11-05 17:26:26

Revolution Wind, an offshore wind farm providing power to Connecticut and Rhode Island, has entered commercial operations, despite repeated challenges from the Trump administration. Developer Ørsted confirmed today that the wind farm entered commercial operations in October, while it is also making progress on another location for New York State.

Group President and CEO Rasmus Errboe reported the development during the company’s quarterly investor call on November 5, saying Revolution Wind began commercial operations under the PPAs, delivering power to Connecticut and Rhode Island. He called the development “a major milestone,” while also reporting they were making "solid progress" on the Sunrise Wind project off New York’s Long Island.

Construction started in 2023 for Revolution Wind, which is a 704 MW project located more than 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast. Reports said the total investment was more than $6.2 billion and also included the development of facilities at ProvPort, Quonset, and State Pier to support the project. Revolution Wind is a partnership between Ørsted and Skyborn Renewables, which is owned by BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners.

The project has 20-year power agreements, with media reports that it is delivering power to Rhode Island Energy, Eversource Energy, and United Illuminating. The project delivered its first power in March 2026.

Reaching this point comes after several challenges from the Trump administration. It issued a stop-work order for the project in August 2025, when it was already 80 percent complete. A court issued a preliminary injunction allowing construction to resume in late September, only to have the Department of the Interior issue a second stop-work order at the end of the year. A US federal court granted a second preliminary injunction, allowing construction to again resume in mid-January.

The project is still facing court challenges from environmental groups. Last month, the Department of Justice filed in the case, asking the court to remand the approval of the project's Construction & Operations Plan for further review. The administration has alleged the project’s review and approval was rushed and that it needs to reevaluate its compliance with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

The news that the project had entered commercial operations received strong statements of support from Connecticut and Rhode Island’s elected officials. In addition, Senator Chuck Schumer issued a statement, “Despite Donald Trump’s efforts to end offshore wind production, Revolution Wind is now fully operational! ... It’s great news for lower costs, union jobs, and a cleaner environment and it’s one of many victories to come in our ongoing fight to lower prices for Americans.”

Revolution Wind becomes the third large, commercial-scale offshore wind farm in full operation in the United States. Ørsted recently marked two years for the smaller 132 MW South Fork Wind off New York. The other large project in commercial operation is Vineyard Wind, owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Avangrid Renewables.

Boston public radio station WBUR reported that last Friday, October 30, wind power in New England peaked at 2,400 MW, breaking a record for the region.

Revolution Wind was one of the five offshore wind farms under construction in the United States. Errboe told investors today that the company’s other project, Sunrise Wind, is now nearly 60 percent complete and should commission its first turbine around the end of the year. He reported that installation has been completed for the foundations and that 31 turbines are installed. Ørsted expects the project to reach commercial operations in the second half of 2027.