Offshore wind farm off New York: construction work free after Trump approval!

Offshore wind farm off New York: construction work free after Trump approval!

Norwegian energy company Equinor is allowed to resume construction work on its Empire Wind offshore wind farm project off New York. This was made possible after the US Department of the Interior lifted the previously imposed construction freeze order. The project has a total volume of five billion dollars and is expected to be able to supply electricity to more than 500,000 households. Construction had been halted since early April 2025 after environmental concerns were raised.

On April 16, 2025, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum decided to review the permits for the project and temporarily halt construction. During that review, Burgum raised concerns that the approvals may have been “rushed” under the previous Biden administration. Equinor took a total of seven years to approve the project and has already invested over $2.5 billion. The project is currently one third complete.

Political support and economic impact

Equinor CEO Anders Opedal thanked US President Donald Trump for the decision to allow construction work to resume. This decision secures around 1,500 jobs in the construction industry and at the same time promotes investments in the energy infrastructure. However, Trump had already suspended leases and permits for wind power projects early in his term in 2017 and expressed negative opinions about wind turbines, which he described as ugly, expensive and harmful to wildlife.

The Trump administration has restarted work on this major offshore wind project, seen by New York Governor Kathy Hochul as critical to the state's future energy supply. Hochul emphasized the importance of the numerous discussions that led to the resumption of the project.

Renewable Energy Goals in New York

The Empire Wind project will be built south of Long Island and is expected to be operational in 2026. New York aims to obtain 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and reach over 9 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035. In the past, New York had successfully gained distance by receiving power from the nation's first commercial offshore wind farm, the South Fork Wind Farm, which opened just a year ago.

Offshore wind energy has had an established role in energy production in Europe and Asia for three decades. However, in the US, the industry faces challenges such as high costs and long approval processes. Equinor had announced on May 9 that it would have to abandon the Empire Wind project if the construction freeze order was not lifted, saying it was spending up to $50 million a week while keeping 11 vessels on standby.

The future of offshore wind energy in the U.S. remains exciting, especially given recent developments that have both economic and environmental implications. Efforts to expand renewable energy are characterized by political support and the need to promote domestic energy production.

Further information can be found in the reports from TradingView and Associated Press to find.