Federal judge denies request seeking to stop Virginia Beach wind farm construction

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A federal judge has denied a preliminary injunction seeking to halt construction of a 2.6-gigawatt wind farm about 29 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

In a 10-page opinion issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan ruled against the temporary injunction, which sought to stop construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project while the case moved forward.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., by several conservative anti-offshore wind groups, argues the wind farm construction negatively impacts the endangered North Atlantic right whale species.

In the ruling, AliKhan wrote the groups’ arguments did not successfully prove an injunction would prevent irreparable injury.

“Plaintiffs fail to take into account the extensive measures already in place to minimize potential harm to the Right Whale during construction,” AliKhan wrote, referencing plans by Dominion Energy to halt some project construction during the right whale migration season from November to April.

Arguments in the lawsuit will continue this fall.

Construction of the wind farm got underway this month after a slight delay. Dominion announced last week that the first wind turbine foundation, a steel tube called a monopile, had been installed.

Once complete, the 176-turbine, $9.8 billion offshore wind farm is expected to generate enough energy to power up to 660,000 homes. Construction is scheduled to complete by the end of 2026.

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