Construction of Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 Project Halted by US Department of the Interior

The secretary of the US Department of the Interior and chairman of the National Energy Dominance Council, Doug Burgum, has made a significant decision to stop all construction activities on Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 project off the coast of New York.

In a social media post, Burgum announced that his department, in consultation with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, has directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to immediately halt all construction activities on the Empire Wind Project. This decision comes after concerns were raised about the approval process of the project by the Biden administration.

The stoppage will remain in effect until a thorough review of information is conducted to ensure that the approval process was carried out with sufficient analysis.

Burgum further emphasized that President Donald Trump had called for comprehensive reviews of federal wind projects and wind leasing on day one of his administration. The Department of Interior is now taking steps to ensure that these instructions are followed.

Equinor had begun construction of the Empire Wind project quietly, without any official announcements or ceremonies. A mariner update revealed that Van Oord would be conducting subsea rock installation within the Empire Wind 1 lease area for the 54 planned wind turbines and one substation from April to July 2025.

If both project phases are completed, Empire Wind will consist of nearly 150 turbines spanning across 320 sq km of the Atlantic Ocean.

New York governor Kathy Hochul, a strong supporter of the project, expressed her disappointment with the halt in construction. She stated that the fully-permitted project had already begun construction before the president’s executive orders were signed.

“As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy, and New York’s economic future,” Hochul added.