Norway-based Equinor is considering legal options after the U.S. earlier this month ordered the company to stop work on its 810-megawatt Empire Wind project offshore New York, the company’s CFO told analysts April 30.

“We have complied with this order; however, the order did not include any information about the alleged deficiencies in the approval,” said Equinor CFO Torgrim Reitan. “And our position is clear: The stop work order is unlawful. It is disregarding applicable law and the prior reviews and the valid approvals of all agencies. … Equinor has invested in good faith.”

At the direction of U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, on April 16 the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ordered work on Empire Wind to stop. In a social media post, Burgum said the project was halted until review of information that suggests the administration of former President Joe Biden “rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.”

U.S. President Donald Trump’s moves have included temporarily halting new wind leasing and permitting while ratchetting up support for fossil fuel production—including coal—to meet rising energy demand. The administration’s actions contrast with the Biden administration’s clean energy push, which included a goal to boost offshore wind capacity to 30 gigawatts by 2030.

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US Halts Construction of Equinor’s Empire Wind Project Offshore NY

Reitan called the Empire Wind work stop notice “extraordinary and unprecedented.” The company, he said, has invested about $60 billion in the U.S., mainly oil and gas, having delivered about 425,000 boe/d and earnings of more than $500 million during first-quarter 2025.

Construction of the Empire Wind project was about 30% complete and the project was about to enter the crucial offshore installation phase.

The Interior Department approved the construction and operations plan (COP) for the project in February 2024, about six years after the project’s site assessment plan was approved.

“It was not a rushed process by any means,” Reitan said. “It took more than four years from submittal [of the COP] to approval after extensive documentations, consultations and review. So, based on this approval and an improved offtake contract with New York, we took a final investment decision and started construction in the spring of 2024.”

So far, more than $2.5 billion—including equity commitments—has been invested in the Empire Wind project. The investments made also include those for the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. The terminal is intended to serve as a staging and pre-assembly site for turbine components, include an onshore substation and later serve as an offshore wind hub.

Equinor plans to do impairment testing related to second-quarter results, Reitan said.

But Equinor CEO Anders Opedal told Reuters the company may book an impairment loss on the project’s $2.5 billion book value in the second quarter as a result of the order.

Reitan told analysts the permits for Empire Wind were issued lawfully, but he described the recent move by the U.S. as unlawful.

“Our priority is to protect value for Equinor and our investors,” he said.

The company’s main focus right now is on getting clarity on the situation quickly. Empire Wind is in a critical phase as it nears the start of offshore installation and faces a weather window

for the project’s offshore construction.

“So, it is a matter of urgency to get clearance on the situation,” Reitan said. “The U.S. authorities are very well aware of the urgency and the need for clarity, and that we are also considering all optionalities, including taking legal steps to protect our situation and the value [for] our shareholders.”

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