New York offshore wind project to resume construction after judge lifts Trump suspension
Marmac 306, a cable-laying barge, is in New York Harbor on Thursday, July 17, 2025, in New York, USA. The crew of an American-flagged barge will lay cable to connect the Empire Wind farm to New York City’s grid, a milestone for an embattled industry.
Bryan Derballa | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Empire Wind will continue construction off the coast of New York after a federal judge on Thursday temporarily lifted the Trump administration’s decision to suspend the project.
The injunction, issued by U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols for the District of Columbia, is the latest setback for President Donald Trump’s efforts to halt offshore wind projects.
Equinor, the Norwegian company that developed Empire Wind, said it would “now focus on safely resuming construction activities that were halted during the suspension period.”
“Additionally, the project will continue to communicate with the U.S. government to ensure that its operations are conducted in a safe, secure and responsible manner,” Equinor said in a statement Thursday. he said.
The Interior Department halted five wind projects on the East Coast, including Empire Wind, on Dec. 22, citing national security concerns. In its lawsuit, Equinor called the suspension the Trump administration’s “latest illegal action” to halt the development of offshore wind.
Empire Wind is expected to power more than 500,000 homes by 2027, according to Equinor. It will provide electricity to New York City through a substation in Brooklyn.
Other projects targeted by Trump include Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Vineyard Wind 1 off Massachusetts, Revolution Wind off Rhode Island, and Sunrise Wind off Long Island and New England.
On Monday, a federal judge also allowed Revolution Wind to continue construction.
A hearing on Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind’s suspension is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk.
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, owned by Domination EnergyLargest project of its kind in the USA
