$5B Empire Wind Project Back On: Trump Administration Ends Federal Halt Amid Energy Compromise

The Trump administration lifted an official stop-work order that had been in place for an entire month on Empire Wind. The project is a $5 billion offshore wind farm being built off the coast of New York. The decision was made after weeks of negotiations by federal officials and New York State representatives, which culminated in a wider compromise. 

In April, the Department of the Interior abruptly halted the Empire Wind project spearheaded by Norwegian company Equinor ASA. The Department cited concerns about potential disruptions in maritime traffic, military systems, and ongoing assessments of the security of the energy infrastructure. Clean energy advocates and state officials criticized the move, warning that it could compromise long-term climate and economic goals.

According to several sources, the stop-work orders were rescinded after a deal was reached that addressed both the federal government’s priorities for infrastructure oversight and New York’s desire to accelerate its shift to renewable energy. The Department of the Interior's spokesperson confirmed the decision and stated that the administration is committed to an energy strategy that balances innovation with national security and economic growth.

The compromise purports to include a provision that allows for a reconsideration of an earlier cancelled gas pipeline project, which would have supplied downstate New York as well as northern New Jersey. State officials have not revealed the details of the pipeline, but they acknowledged that regulatory agencies could re-examine previous environmental and permit denials in the event new data or conditions were presented.

Equinor has been notified that work can resume. The company holds the lease of the Empire Wind Project area with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The Empire Wind project is located between 15 and 30 miles south of Long Island in New York State, and  is designed to provide 2.1 gigawatts of offshore wind power capacity over two phases: Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2.  The project will generate enough electricity by 2027 to power 500,000 homes,  and contributing significantly to the state’s goal to produce 70% of its electricity using renewable sources by 2030.

Empire Wind's extensive project includes turbines and offshore substations. It also includes inter-array wiring, onshore transmission systems, and inter-array cable. Equinor will ramp up its fabrication and staging at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. The terminal has been upgraded to serve as an offshore wind logistics hub.