US halts construction of Equinor’s offshore wind project in New York

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the move on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on 16 April and suggested the Biden administration approved it without enough environmental analysis.

A spokesperson for Norway-based Equinor said the company had received the stop-work order from the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Interior arm that permits offshore energy projects, according to Reuters.

“We will engage directly with BOEM and the Department of Interior to understand the questions raised about the permits we have received from authorities,” Equinor said. “We will not comment about the potential consequences until we know more.”

Burgum said he had consulted with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the decision. Commerce houses the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is involved in permitting offshore wind facilities.

US President Donald Trump ordered a review of offshore wind permitting and leasing on his first day back in the Oval Office in January.

Empire Wind was approved by the Biden administration in November 2023 and began construction last year.

The lease area, which will house two projects, is located 12 nautical miles (22 km) south of Long Island, New York. The facilities together are expected to generate enough electricity to power 700,000 homes a year. The project was expected to start producing power in 2027.

“This fully federally permitted project has already put shovels in the ground before the President’s executive orders - it’s exactly the type of bipartisan energy solution we should be working on,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.