Major N.Y. offshore wind project can resume, Trump officials say
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The Interior Department has lifted a stop-work order on a major wind project under construction off New York's coast, developer Equinor and state officials said Monday.
Why it matters: The multi-billion dollar project's halt last month sent shock waves through the industry.
- It signaled that Trump administration officials may thwart projects already under construction, in addition to their policy of barring new approvals and lease auctions.
Molly Morris, president of Equinor Renewables Americas, had told news outlets earlier in May that the company might imminently cancel the project, citing $50 million in weekly costs.
Driving the news: Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is allowing construction to resume, Equinor said.
- Equinor CEO Anders Opedal, in a statement, thanked President Trump for "finding a solution that saves thousands of American jobs and provides for continued investments in energy infrastructure in the U.S."
- He thanked New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for engaging with Trump officials, and suggested that the dispute reached high up the diplomatic chain, noting Norway's finance minister "raised the situation with the U.S.administration."
The big picture: The Trump team opposes offshore wind, but the Empire Wind stop-construction order was the first move against one of the handful of large-scale projects already getting built.
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on X last month that Interior was halting Empire pending "further review of information that suggests the Biden administration rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis."
- The department and its offshore energy arm didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday evening.
- President Trump signed an executive order in January that barred new lease sales and new permitting, while requiring review of existing leases.
Catch up quick: The 810-megawatt Empire Wind 1 — 15 to 30 miles south of Long Island — is slated to send enough power into New York to supply 500,000 homes, per Equinor.
- Equinor hopes to bring the project into commercial operation in 2027.
- The company began laying rock in the marine region last month. The project also supports onshore work at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, where per Equinor, more than 1,500 people have worked.
What they're saying: "The administration is clearing the way for major investments to move forward — activating American shipyards, creating high-quality jobs, and accelerating the buildout of infrastructure needed to deliver reliable, domestic energy to the East Coast," National Ocean Industries Association President Erik Milito said in a statement.
What we're watching: Other projects under construction, including:
- Dominion Energy's 2.6 gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project
- Vineyard Wind off Massachusetts
- Ørsted's Revolution Wind in New England.
