The construction of a massive wind farm off the coast of Virginia can continue as scheduled after a federal judge on Friday rejected calls to freeze work on the project.
The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, the Heartland Institute, and the National Legal and Policy Center sought a court order to block Dominion Energy’s 176-turbine project — the largest of its kind in the nation — over claims construction would harm the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that opponents of the project “have not demonstrated they will face irreparable injury in the absence of a preliminary injunction or stay.”
The decision came just two days after Dominion Energy announced it had installed the first foundation, or monopile, for the wind project 29 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. Once completed, the project will generate enough electricity to power 660,000 homes. The company anticipates construction will take until 2026.