Massive $6B offshore Long Island wind project to resume after judge KO’s Trump admin’s national security claims
A federal judge has made a significant decision to lift President Trump’s stop-work order on the Empire Wind project, a massive offshore wind development on Long Island’s South Shore. This ruling allows construction to resume immediately on the $6 billion project, located approximately 14 miles off the coast of Jones Beach.
The Trump administration had abruptly halted the Empire Wind project in December, citing vague national security concerns. The developer, Equinor, a Norwegian energy company hired by the state of New York, was left in the dark about the reasons behind the stop-work order, leading them to file a lawsuit against the US Department of Interior.
Governor Kathy Hochul criticized the Trump administration for halting the project under what she called a “bogus pretense of national security.” She emphasized the importance of the project for the region’s energy future, highlighting the work that had already been done by thousands of workers from Long Island to New York City.
The Empire Wind project was over 60% complete when construction was suspended, putting it at risk of missing crucial deadlines that could have jeopardized the entire endeavor. The preliminary injunction issued by Judge Carl Nichols now allows Equinor to resume offshore construction and continue work on the 810-megawatt wind farm, which is expected to provide power to over 500,000 people in parts of New York City later this year.
Equinor has already invested $4 billion into the project and plans to spend an additional $2 billion to complete it. A spokesperson for Equinor, David Schoetz, stated that the focus now is on safely restarting construction activities and engaging with the US government to ensure the project’s secure and responsible execution.
While the ruling pertains only to the Empire Wind project, other state offshore wind projects, like Sunrise Wind in Suffolk County, remain stalled under separate federal orders. Sunrise Wind, which aims to deliver nearly 1,000 megawatts of power to the Long Island grid by 2028, is still awaiting court approval to resume work.
The decision to lift the stop-work order on the Empire Wind project is a significant step forward in advancing renewable energy initiatives in the region. It underscores the importance of transitioning to cleaner sources of energy and the role that offshore wind projects can play in meeting sustainability goals.
