Empire Offshore Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Equinor ASA, has been informed by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that the stop work order has been lifted for the Empire Wind project, allowing construction activities to resume.
The stop work order was issued on April 16, 2025. Following dialogue with regulators and federal, state, and city officials, the stop work order has been lifted and construction activities will resume, the company said.
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.
After a competitive process, the United States 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 United States 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 percent complete.
Equinor is developing the Empire Wind project as two parts, Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2.
The Empire Wind 1 project was selected as a winner in New York’s fourth offshore wind solicitation (NY4) to deliver 810 MW of power to New York, enough to power over 500,000 homes. Empire Wind 2, which can potentially generate 1,260 MW of electricity, will continue to be matured in anticipation of future solicitations.
Equinor in 2024 announced the execution of a Purchase and Sale Agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority for the renewable power generated by the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project.
