The country’s first major offshore wind farm, the 30-MW Block Island project, began operating in 2016. Eight years later, South Fork Wind became the first U.S. commercial-scale project above 100 MW, starting operations off New York with 12 turbines and 132 MW of capacity. The Biden administration had set a goal of 30 GW by 2030 and approved 11 commercial-scale projects in federal waters, which together were expected to provide 19 GW if completed.

Investment accelerated after the Inflation Reduction Act was enacted in August 2022, alongside state-level incentives. Developers including Ørsted, Iberdrola and Equinor pledged billions of dollars. The Department of Energy says U.S. waters and the Great Lakes have more than 4,000 GW of technical offshore wind potential, equivalent to 13,500 terawatt-hours of annual generation. The department has also earmarked more than $300 million for research, development and demonstration projects. Permitting delays have long held back construction.

Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has issued orders to halt development or operation of individual wind projects, prompting lawsuits. Courts have blocked some of those efforts. Earlier this year, a federal judge allowed construction to continue on five permitted East Coast wind farms after the administration sought to stop them.

Ørsted’s $6.2-billion Revolution Wind project began commercial operations in November after months of uncertainty and legal action. Its 65 turbines can generate up to 704 MW. It is the third U.S. utility-scale offshore wind farm to reach full commercial operation, following South Fork Wind and Vineyard Wind near Massachusetts. Ørsted said the project can supply electricity equivalent to the needs of more than 350,000 New England homes. The company has agreements to sell power to Rhode Island Energy, Eversource Energy and United Illuminating.