Revolution Wind Begins Commercial Service After Federal Stop-Work Delay

Ørsted’s Revolution Wind offshore wind farm entered full commercial service in October 2026, bringing all 65 turbines into operation off Rhode Island. The project serves Rhode Island and Connecticut and is supported by 20-year power agreements with offtakers Rhode Island Energy, Eversource Energy, and United Illuminating. The commercial-service milestone completes a major infrastructure build that had already begun delivering electricity before the entire array was synchronized, illustrating how commissioning and grid delivery can proceed in stages rather than waiting for every project component to be complete.

The project’s construction schedule was disrupted in August 2025, when federal regulators issued a stop-work order despite construction being roughly 80% complete. By that point, Ørsted had driven foundations, raised towers, and installed most of the export cable, according to the source. The halt left partially completed infrastructure in federal waters, with vessels idle and finishing work suspended. The source describes the site as exposed to winter swells while construction was paused, underscoring the particular asset and execution risks of stopping a large marine project after substantial physical installation.

Construction resumed in mid-January 2026 after a federal court granted a second preliminary injunction. The restart therefore followed judicial action rather than a reversal by the agency that issued the stop-work order. For federal contractors, developers, utilities, and project-finance teams, the sequence highlights how legal proceedings and regulatory decisions can affect workforce mobilization, vessel availability, installation sequencing, and the condition of work already completed. It also shows why schedule contingencies and asset-protection planning matter even when a project is close to completion and its commercial counterparties have already committed to long-term delivery.

Revolution Wind had signed its 20-year power agreements before foundations were installed, and it delivered its first power in March 2026, months before full commercial operation. The October milestone marked completion of the full array’s transition into service, rather than the first electricity from the project. The source also reports that wind power across New England reached a peak of 2,400 megawatts on October 30, presenting that regional peak as evidence of wind’s contribution to the grid; it does not identify Revolution Wind as the sole source of that total. For procurement and energy-planning teams, the project offers a case study in managing long-term offtake commitments through construction interruption, staged commissioning, and final synchronization. The source does not provide agreement values, contract numbers, or the terms of the federal stop-work order, so those details should not be inferred.

• Project: Revolution Wind is a 65-turbine offshore wind farm developed by Ørsted in federal waters off Rhode Island.
• Commercial milestone: The full project entered commercial service in October 2026.
• Offtake: The project’s 20-year power agreements identify Rhode Island Energy, Eversource Energy, and United Illuminating as purchasers or offtakers.
• Construction disruption: A federal stop-work order was issued in August 2025, when construction was approximately 80% complete.
• Court action and restart: A federal court granted a second preliminary injunction, and construction resumed in mid-January 2026.
• Staged delivery: Revolution Wind delivered its first power in March 2026, before the full array was synchronized and placed into commercial service.
• Grid context: The source reports New England wind power reached 2,400 megawatts on October 30; it does not attribute that entire peak to Revolution Wind.
• Procurement implication: Include schedule, legal, marine-asset exposure, restart, and commissioning contingencies in planning for large offshore infrastructure and long-term energy offtake.
• Unreported terms: The source provides no power-agreement values or contract numbers, and those figures should not be assumed.