Revolution Wind Begins Delivering Power to New England
On Friday, March 13, the offshore Revolution Wind project began delivering power to New England’s electric grid. Though officially only 90% complete, with full power expected to come online later this year, the project has begun operation of what its builders describe as “a 704 MW (Megawatts) offshore wind energy project, [that] is expected to supply enough electricity to power more than 350,000 homes and businesses.” The project is a partnership between Danish energy company Ørsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables.
Located 15 miles off the Rhode Island coast and 12 miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard, the project will provide 304 MW to Connecticut and 400 MW to Rhode Island under 20-year contracts with regional utility companies. Both states have established aggressive targets to achieve 100% renewable energy, and Revolution is expected to displace “nearly one million metric tons of carbon pollution each year, the equivalent of taking more than 200,000 cars off the road,” according to Ørsted.
Local officials issued statements applauding the project and its benefits to CT consumers. A statement released by Governor Ned Lamont’s office said: “This project is key to diversifying our energy supply and lowering utility costs for families and businesses. I congratulate the project’s developer and the many skilled Connecticut workers who’ve made Revolution Wind possible on achieving its first power deliveries to the grid.”
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes’ statement said: “Today is good news for Connecticut and the region’s ratepayers, who will save hundreds of millions of dollars a year on their electricity bills thanks to Connecticut and Rhode Island’s efforts to bring Revolution Wind online. As we’ve seen from the harsh winter we’ve had, and the impacts to fossil fuel prices as a result of the Iran war, having diverse sources of stable, reliable power that both perform strongly in the winter and are insulated from geopolitical events is beneficial to Connecticut ratepayers.”
The project did not arrive at this point easily, however. From his first day in office, when he issued an executive order to reevaluate all offshore wind projects, President Donald Trump repeatedly attempted to derail the project’s completion. In August 2025, the project was halted over unspecified national security concerns, although the Department of Defense had already approved it as part of an extensive permitting process. The project was already 80% complete at that time. A federal judge subsequently ruled that the project be allowed to proceed.
The administration then issued a Stop Work order in December, which was also dismissed by a federal judge, who ruled that the stop work order was intended only for “emergency situations and demonstrated findings of particularized harm that cannot be averted short of a total stop to project activity.”
According to reporting in CT Mirror, the federal government had until Friday, March 13, 2026 to appeal that ruling. When the deadline passed, the power was turned on.
President Trump has long opposed wind power projects, making false claims that turbines cause cancer and undermine property values. He has also repeatedly told what factcheck.org described as a “fanciful story of a woman wanting to watch television, but not being able to because the wind wasn’t blowing.” The electric grid, which draws power from a variety of sources, does not cease to function when the wind stops blowing. Revolution Wind will supply about 5% of Connecticut’s energy needs.
CT Congressman Joe Courtney’s statement referred to the “Trump Administration’s illegal halt work orders that were rejected by every court in the country,” and Senator Richard Blumenthal’s statement said: “I am thrilled that it has begun delivering power to our state and others, despite despicable Trump Administration attempts to stop it. As we confront a growing energy crisis that reveals how vulnerable we are to relying on fossil fuels, this stable source of reliable and renewable energy will power the region for decades to come.”
A day after the Revolution Wind startup, completion of another split in two parts without major wind power project, Vineyard Wind, was announced. Forty-four of the project’s 62 turbines off Martha’s Vineyard became operational in January, and on March 14, it was announced that the last blade on the 62nd turbine had been installed. When fully operational, the project will deliver 800 MW of renewable energy to Massachusetts consumers, enough to power some 400,000 homes.
