Empire Offshore Wind (Empire), a subsidiary of Equinor, has been informed by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) that the stop work order has been lifted for the Empire Wind 1 project.
The stop work order was issued on 16 April 2025. Following dialogue with regulators and federal, state, and city officials, the stop work order has been lifted and construction activities will resume.
Anders Opedal, President and CEO of Equinor ASA, said: ” I would like to thank President Trump for finding a solution that saves thousands of American jobs and provides for continued investments in energy infrastructure in the U.S. I would also like to thank the Norwegian Prime Minister Støre and Minister of Finance Stoltenberg for their support at a critical time, and that the Minister of Finance raised the situation with the U.S. administration.”
The U.S. government first leased Empire a designated area of the outer continental shelf off the coast of New York in 2017. After an extensive environmental review process, the U.S. government approved the plan to build a commercial offshore wind farm in early 2024, after which construction started. Project financing was secured in 2024. The project is currently more than 30% complete.
Equinor will perform an updated assessment of the project economics in the second quarter. Empire aims to be able to execute planned activities in the offshore installation window in 2025 and reach its planned commercial operation date in 2027. Empire will engage with suppliers and regulatory bodies to reduce the impact of the stop work order.