Equinor, the Norwegian energy company, will resume construction on its Empire Wind 1 offshore wind farm in New York following the lifting of a stop-work order by the Trump administration. This project, set to be the first offshore wind installation providing electricity directly to New York City, received approval under the Biden administration after Equinor secured a lease in 2017. However, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum halted construction in April, claiming insufficient analysis and consultation were conducted regarding the project’s potential impacts, which raised concerns among investors about the future of other permitted wind initiatives.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the joint decision by Burgum and former President Trump to allow construction to proceed, emphasizing that the project supports 1,500 union jobs. Equinor aims to finalize installation this year, working towards commercial operations by 2027.
Burgum noted that increased access to affordable and clean natural gas could benefit New Yorkers economically, although Hochul refrained from discussing natural gas, focusing on collaboration for new energy projects in compliance with state laws. Historically, New York has resisted new natural gas pipelines.
Despite Trump’s previous executive order halting new offshore wind leases and his criticism of the wind industry, Empire Wind 1 is currently over 30% complete, with Equinor having invested $2.5 billion. The project plans to install 54 turbines, generating 810 megawatts of electricity for approximately half a million homes.
Alongside Empire Wind, three other offshore wind projects are progressing on the Eastern Seaboard, with various completion statuses reported by project leaders.
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