A decision by the Trump administration to halt construction on Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 farm off the coast of New York has instigated fears that work can be halted on fully permitted projects, which will have serious implications on the U.S. offshore wind industry. There are three other projects under construction, which means billions of dollars are at stake.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has been adamant that he would put an end to the offshore wind industry due to the costs associated, both economic and environmental. On his first day in office, he issued an executive order halting new leasing for such projects in federal waters and followed with the decision to cease work on the Equinor project on the basis that the environmental analysis was faulty.
“Stopping work on the fully federally permitted Empire Wind 1 offshore project should send chills across all industries investing in and holding contracts with the United States Government,” said Liz Burdock, the CEO of industry group Oceantic Network. “Preventing a permitted and financed energy project from moving forward sends a loud and clear message to all businesses—beyond those in the offshore wind industry—that their investment in the U.S. is not safe.”
According to Oceantic, Empire Wind’s supply chain has over $1.6 billion in investments and supports 3,500 jobs, while the industry as a collective is expected to invest $65 billion in projects by 2030.
Equinor has stopped construction as requested and plans to engage with the Trump administration to better understand its concerns about the project’s permit.
