U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is directing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to immediately halt construction activities on the Empire Wind project being developed offshore New York by Equinor.

In a post on X, Burgum said the activity is being stopped “until further review of information that suggests the Biden administration rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.”

BOEM announced the completion of its environmental review of the wind farm in September 2023, more than a year after publishing a draft environmental impact study and 60-day public comment period. The project was approved in November 2023 as the Biden-Harris administration pursued a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030. In February 2024, Empire Wind’s Construction and Operations Plan for the two-phased project was approved by BOEM.

“We will engage directly with BOEM and the Department of Interior to understand the questions raised about the permits we have received from authorities,” an Equinor spokesperson told Hart Energy in an emailed statement. “We will not comment about the potential consequences until we know more.” 

Offshore wind has been in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump, who issued an executive order in January that temporarily halted new wind leasing and permitting. Trump has criticized offshore wind energy and some other forms of renewable energy, favoring instead fossil fuels. The move was another blow for the U.S. offshore wind sector that in recent years endured supply chain challenges, inflation and interest rate hikes that led to impairments, the cancellation of some projects and contract renegotiations.

The Empire Wind project, like some others, also faced opposition from fishing communities, some residents of communities near the project and conservative think tanks concerned about harm to whales.

American Clean Power Association (ACP) CEO Jason Grumet called such political reversals bad policy, whether it’s applicable to wind farms or pipelines.

“Halting construction of fully permitted energy projects is the literal opposite of an energy abundance agenda,” Grumet said in a statement. “With skyrocketing energy demand and increasing consumer prices, we need streamlined permitting for all domestic energy resources. Doubling back to reconsider permits after projects are under construction sends a chilling signal to all energy investment.”

Equinor, which secured a project investment package for more than $3 billion and sealed a 25-year purchase and sale agreement with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority for Empire Wind 1 power, began construction work for the project in 2024. The company is targeting first power in 2026 with full commissioning in 2027.

Citing multiple insiders, Canary Media reported April 9 that work was underway on underwater bases for the turbines. No news releases were issued by Equinor about the milestone.

Equinor is also constructing the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. Construction continues on the 73-acre project that will serve as a staging and pre-assembly site for turbine components for Empire Wind and include an onshore substation to connect 810 MW of wind power to the Gowanus substation. The terminal is expected to serve as an offshore wind hub. “Since April 2024, more than 1,500 workers have been working to revitalize the long-neglected port,” Equinor said.

Grumet called on the administration to “quickly address perceived inadequacies in the prior permit approvals so that this project can complete construction and bring much needed power to the grid. At the end of the day, reliable energy systems depend on reliable political systems.”

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