Developer to resume NY offshore wind project after Trump administration
lifts pause
[May 20, 2025] By
JENNIFER McDERMOTT
The Trump administration is allowing work on a major offshore wind
project for New York to resume.
The developer, the Norwegian energy company Equinor, said Monday it was
told by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that a stop-work
order has been lifted for the Empire Wind project, allowing construction
to resume.
Work has been paused since Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last month
directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to halt construction and
review the permits. Burgum said at the time that it appeared former
President Joe Biden's administration had “rushed through” the approvals.
Equinor spent seven years obtaining permits and has spent more than $2.5
billion so far on a project that is one-third complete.
Equinor President and CEO Anders Opedal thanked President Donald Trump
for allowing the project to move forward, saving about 1,500
construction jobs and investments in U.S. energy infrastructure. He also
expressed appreciation to New York's governor, New York City's mayor,
members of Congress and labor groups, as well as Norwegian officials who
worked to save the project. The Norwegian government owns a majority
stake in Equinor.
“We appreciate the fact that construction can now resume on Empire Wind,
a project which underscores our commitment to deliver energy while
supporting local economies and creating jobs,” Opedal said in a
statement.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said it took countless conversations with
Equinor and White House officials, and the involvement of labor and
business interests, to emphasize the project's importance and get Empire
Wind back on track. Equinor is building Empire Wind south of Long
Island, New York, to provide power in 2026 for more than 500,000 New
York homes.
“New York’s economic future is going to be powered by abundant, clean
energy that helps our homes and businesses thrive. I fought to save
clean energy jobs in New York — and we got it done," Hochul said in a
statement Monday.
The Interior Department did not immediately respond to emails seeking
comment Monday.
Large offshore wind farms have been making electricity for three decades
in Europe and, more recently, in Asia. But the industry has struggled to
grow in the U.S. due to high costs, difficulties growing a supply chain
for materials and the lengthy permitting process.
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A sign for the company Equinor is displayed on Oct. 28, 2020, in
Fornebu, Norway. (Håkon Mosvold Larsen/NTB Scanpix via AP)
 Trump has prioritized fossil fuels
and moved against renewable energy since returning to the White
House. One of his first acts was ordering a pause of offshore wind
lease sales in federal waters and the issuance of approvals, permits
and loans for all wind projects. But the administration’s targeting
of Empire Wind, a project already underway, took that a step
further.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement Friday
that while unleashing America’s energy dominance, Trump “paused
certain wind projects that are detrimental to our beloved wildlife
including birds and whales.”
There are no known links between large whale deaths and ongoing
offshore wind activities, according to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. While wind turbines can pose a risk to
birds, wildlife conservation organizations say they support the
responsible development of offshore wind because climate change is a
bigger threat.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Monday that
lifting the stop-work order is welcome news. Empire Wind will
greatly benefit the economy on Long Island and the environment for
all New Yorkers, he said in a statement.
Offshore wind advocates also celebrated the decision. It’s a win for
workers, the industry and companies in places like Louisiana, South
Carolina and Pennsylvania, helping to build projects in the
Northeast, the Oceantic Network said in a statement.
Equinor said on May 9 it would be forced to abandon Empire Wind
within days unless the administration relented on its order that
stopped construction. Equinor was spending up to $50 million per
week and had 11 vessels on standby.
Equinor finalized the federal lease in March 2017, during Trump’s
first term. The federal government approved the construction and
operations plan in February 2024.
New York aims to obtain 70% of its electricity from renewable
sources by 2030 and 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035. New York
is getting some wind power from the nation’s first commercial-scale
offshore wind farm, a 12-turbine wind farm called South Fork that
opened a year ago, operated by different companies east of Montauk
Point, New York.
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