Trump administration lifts stop-work order for Empire Wind project, Equinor and Hochul say

Norway-based Equinor on Monday said it received word from the Trump administration that a stop-work order that led to a costly freeze of its Empire Wind project off Long Island's South Shore had been lifted, allowing work to resume. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a separate statement, confirmed the move, and thanked President Donald Trump for allowing the $7 billion-plus project to resume construction. The stop-work order had been issued April 16, just as offshore work was set to begin about 14 miles off Long Beach. 

Equinor last week had threatened to terminate the project "within days" if it did not get the go-ahead to restart work. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other political leaders also had been advocating for the stop-work order to be lifted. Hochul last week told Newsday she'd spent part of Mother's Day seeking to overturn it. 

In a statement issued Monday night, Equinor said it will "perform an updated assessment of the project economics" in coming months, adding that it "aims to be able to execute planned [construction] activities in the offshore installation window in 2025 and reach its planned commercial operation date in 2027." The company said it would "engage with suppliers and regulatory bodies to reduce the impact of the stop-work order."

Hochul's statement, which was not confirmed by the Trump administration, suggested there were other energy projects in play as part of the agreement. 

"I also reaffirmed that New York will work with the [Trump] administration and private entities on new energy projects that meet the legal requirements under New York law," her statement said, without elaborating.

A spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management did not respond to requests for comment. 

Hochul's administration in the past has voiced support for starting up advanced nuclear power projects, a sector that could align with Trump administration policies and meet the need for energy-hungry data centers planned for New York and across the county. 

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who first announced the stop-work order, was in New York earlier this month to meet with National Grid, reportedly to explore new natural gas pipelines into the state. 

"In order to ensure reliability and affordability for consumers, we will be working in earnest to deliver on these objectives," Hochul said. 

Equinor had said the federal stop-work order was costing it upward of $50 million a week as up to 11 vessels waited to start work offshore. Large quantities of rocks had been scheduled to be dumped around the area where 54 turbine monopiles will be pounded into the seabed in coming months.

New York Attorney General Letitia James had joined 17 other states' attorneys general to sue the Trump administration over its crackdown on wind project permitting and leasing, including the Empire project. 

In her statement, Hochul said she spent weeks pushing the Trump administration to allow work to continue, and thanked the president "for his willingness to work with me to save the 1,500 good-paying union jobs that were on the line and helping get this essential project back on track."

Equinor, a global energy giant that boasts billions of dollars in oil and natural gas holdings in the United States, also expressed gratitude toward Trump. 

"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.," chief executive Anders Opedal said in a statement, while also crediting Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Schumer.

Schumer, in a statement, said lifting the "unjustified stop work order on Equinor’s Empire Wind project is welcome news for hundreds of thousands of Long Island homeowners and businesses who will benefit from the new, clean energy and for the many thousands of union workers who will build this fully permitted multibillion dollar project." 

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.