After Bitter Political Standoff, $5 Billion NY Wind Project Powers Back To Life

Empire Wind, a massive $5 billion offshore wind project in New York, roared back to life on May 20 after President Trump lifted a month-long work stoppage. The Norwegian company Equinor, which owns the project, had been burning through $50 million each week while construction sat idle.

The trouble started on April 16, when the Trump administration ordered all work to stop. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum cited rushed approval and inadequate environmental analysis as reasons for the halt. At that point, the project was already 30% complete. The sudden halt sent shockwaves through the energy industry and raised fears that other permitted projects worth billions weren’t safe from political interference.

Empire Wind isn’t just any construction site. When it’s finished, it’ll power half a million homes in New York. It’s also one of only four offshore wind projects being built in the United States right now. The other three belong to Denmark’s Orsted and Virginia’s Dominion Energy. The project includes plans for a second phase that would add another 2.1 gigawatts of capacity.

Norway’s leaders didn’t sit quietly while their country’s investment bled money. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere flew to Washington to meet with President Trump. Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg joined the talks. New York Governor Kathy Hochul also pushed hard to save the project and the thousands of American jobs it supports. The revival of Empire Wind aligns with the global trend where wind energy surged by 14% in 2022 alone.

Their efforts paid off. After about a month of negotiations, Trump reversed his decision. Equinor’s CEO Anders Opedal publicly thanked the president for finding a solution. He also credited Norway’s government for bringing the issue to Trump’s attention.

The whole episode shows how quickly energy projects can become political footballs. It also reveals how foreign countries can use diplomacy to protect their investments in America. For Equinor, the work stoppage could’ve meant losing billions of dollars on a project they’d already poured huge resources into.

Right now, America has just four working offshore wind farms. That makes projects like Empire Wind especially important for the country’s renewable energy goals. The fact that construction can restart means New York stays on track to get clean power for hundreds of thousands of homes. It also means those construction jobs are safe for now.