Author: admin

Today, Sunrise Wind LLC (“Sunrise Wind”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ørsted, will file a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging the lease suspension order issued on December 22, 2025 by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which will be followed by a motion for a preliminary injunction. 

While Sunrise Wind continues to seek to work constructively with the Administration and other stakeholders towards an expeditious and durable resolution of this matter, it believes that the lease suspension order violates applicable law. The Sunrise Wind Project (“Project”) faces substantial harm from a continuation of the lease suspension order. As a result, litigation is a necessary step to protect the rights of the Project.   

Sunrise Wind secured all required local, state, and federal permits, following extensive multi-year reviews. As a requirement of the permitting process, the Project engaged in years-long consultation with the U.S. Department of Defense [War] Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse to address potential impacts to national security and defense capabilities from construction through to operation of the Project. 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.   

Sunrise Wind has spent and committed billions of dollars in reliance upon, and has met the requests of, a thorough review process. Additional federal reviews and approvals included the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, and many other agencies. 

The Project is in advanced stages of construction and is nearly 45 percent complete. The Project has installed 44 of 84 monopile foundations as well as the offshore converter station. Construction of the onshore electric infrastructure is substantially complete, and near-shore export cables have been installed. At the time of the lease suspension order, the Project was expected to begin generating power as soon as October 2026.     

At a time of increasing energy demand, the Project will deliver reliable power and increased stability to the electric grid with industry experts forecasting that ratepayers could face increased risks to reliability without the completion of Sunrise Wind. 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.  

Sunrise Wind has supported thousands of American jobs across construction, operations, shipbuilding, and manufacturing, including more than 1,000 union workers who have already contributed more than 1 million union work hours to this project. Sunrise Wind is a part of Ørsted’s investment into American energy generation, grid upgrades, and port infrastructure, as well as a supply chain, including U.S. shipbuilding and manufacturing extending to more than 40 states. 

On January 1, 2026, Revolution Wind, LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables and Ørsted, made similar filings in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  

For further information, please contact:

Ørsted Global Media Relations 
Frederik Høj Rühne 
+45 99 55 95 52 
globalmedia@orsted.com  

Sunrise Wind Media Contact
Karl-Erik Stromsta
+1 737-357-6777
karle@orsted.com  

Ørsted Investor Relations 
Valdemar Hoegh Andersen 
+45 99 55 56 71 
Ir@orsted.com 

About Ørsted
Ørsted is a global leader in developing, constructing, and operating offshore wind farms, with a core focus on Europe. Backed by more than 30 years of experience in offshore wind, Ørsted has 10.2 GW of installed offshore capacity and 8.1 GW under construction. Ørsted’s total installed renewable energy capacity spanning Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America exceeds 18 GW across a portfolio that also includes onshore wind, solar power, energy storage, bioenergy plants, and energy trading. Widely recognised as a global sustainability leader, Ørsted is guided by its vision of a world that runs entirely on green energy. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs approximately 8,000 people. Ørsted’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2024, the group’s operating profit excluding new partnerships and cancellation fees was DKK 24.8 billion (EUR 3.3 billion). Visit orsted.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.  
 

Attachments

The Newsom administration and Valero will continue working closely together to explore opportunities for continued refinery operations and to ensure fuel supply reliability during California’s ongoing energy transition, reinforcing the state’s commitment to maintaining a stable, affordable fuel supply for Californians.

“We want to express our appreciation to Valero for continuing to work with us collaboratively to evaluate options for the Valero Benicia refinery and for maintaining fuel supply to Northern California,” said Siva Gunda, CEC Vice Chair. “The CEC and state partners are working with a variety of market players and stakeholders on necessary steps to protect consumers and support a stable and affordable fuel supply while holistically advancing this critical phase of the energy transition in our path to achieving the state’s climate goals.”

Operations at Valero’s Wilmington Refinery in Los Angeles County remain unchanged.

Maintaining stability today while accelerating the clean energy future

Thanks to Governor Newsom and the Legislature’s commitment to proactive planning and consumer protection, California is responsibly strengthening its in-state supply and accelerating the shift to cleaner energy. Last year, the Governor signed a historic package of bipartisan legislation to stabilize the petroleum fuels market, cut pollution, and save Californians billions. This package included SB 237 — legislation that increases crude oil production in Kern County, boosting domestic crude availability as California manages its long-term energy transition while maintaining strong health and environmental safeguards.

In 2023 and 2024, following severe gasoline price spikes, Governor Newsom took decisive action by calling special legislative sessions to confront price volatility head-on and protect Californians from supply shocks and disruptions. The resulting laws — SB X1-2 (2023) and AB X2-1 (2024) — strengthened California’s ability to plan ahead by requiring unprecedented transparency from refineries, including advance notice of planned refinery closures at least a year in advance. These reforms gave California early visibility into potential supply disruptions at Valero Benicia, allowing California to prepare and coordinate to maintain fuel supply stability. Together, these laws have created the most robust petroleum market transparency in the nation, protecting California consumers and supporting the state’s transition to a cleaner, more affordable energy future.  

California is proving that it can protect consumers, maintain reliable fuel markets, and lead the global clean-energy transition at the same time.

Setting the record straight

MYTH: Refinery idling or closures are unique to California

FACT: This trend is not unique to California. Refineries are closing globally, and refining capacity is consolidating in megarefineries. To manage this transition, Governor Newsom called two special legislative sessions in 2023 and 2024, resulting in SB X1-2 and AB X2-1. These laws granted the California Energy Commission (CEC) regulatory and data transparency tools to ensure a stable, affordable fuel supply during the state’s transition away from petroleum-based transportation. 

And these tools are working: California has avoided severe gasoline price spikes like the historic 2022 and 2023 spikes, and retail gasoline prices have been lower and more stable in 2025 than in previous years, even despite one southern California refinery closing in 2025 and multiple others experiencing overlapping outages for maintenance.