WASHINGTON (AP) — The developer of a major offshore wind project to serve New York is set to go before a federal judge Wednesday, hoping to convince him to lift a Trump administration order they say could mean the death of a project that's 60% complete.
The Empire Wind project is designed to power more than 500,000 homes. Norwegian company Equinor said it will likely have to kill the project if construction can’t resume soon due to the availability
of specialized vessels and heavy financial losses.
The case is being heard by District Judge Carl J. Nichols, an appointee of President Donald Trump.
Empire Wind is one of five big offshore wind projects on the East Coast that the administration froze days before Christmas, citing national security concerns. Developers and states have sued seeking to block the order. Equinor’s hearing is the second of three hearings for these legal challenges this week; on Monday, a judge ruled that a project serving Rhode Island and Connecticut could resume.
Trump has targeted offshore wind from his first days back in the White House, most recently calling wind farms “losers” that lose money, destroy the landscape and kill birds. When his administration cited national security concerns, it gave no detail for those concerns, and at least one expert has said the offshore projects were permitted following years of careful review that included the Department of Defense.
The administration's stance against offshore wind and renewable energy more broadly runs counter to dozens of other countries.
The global offshore wind market is growing, with China leading the world in new installations. Nearly all of the new electricity added to the grid in 2024 was renewable. Experts say the world needs a major buildout of renewable electricity to address climate change.
Molly Morris, Equinor’s senior vice president overseeing Empire Wind, said federal officials have not given them any explanation of the national security concerns or how to mitigate them.
A specialized heavy lift vessel, Heerema’s Sleipnir, must begin lifting the topside to the project’s offshore substation off the transport ship and onto its foundation because the Sleipnir is scheduled to depart by Feb. 1 for other commitments, Morris said. The topside weighs more than 3,000 tons and there are few specialized offshore wind installation ships in the world.
“Right now the project is in a critical situation,” Morris said. “Construction must resume by mid-January to avoid cascading delays that could ultimately lead to a cancellation of the project. We have been clear and consistent that we are ready to address any additional security concerns that were not already addressed through our lengthy engagement with various defense agencies.”
Monday's hearing was in the same federal court, with Danish energy company Orsted prevailing. A judge ruled that work on its project, called Revolution Wind, can resume while the administration considers ways to mitigate its national security concerns. Revolution Wind is nearly complete.
After that hearing, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said the pause is meant to protect the national security of the American people, and “we look forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”
The Trump administration paused leases for the Vineyard Wind project under construction in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, and two projects in New York: Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. New York’s attorney general sued the Trump administration on Friday over Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind.
The Trump administration previously halted work on both Empire Wind and Revolution Wind. In April, it stopped construction on Empire Wind, accusing the Biden administration of rushing the permits, then allowed work to resume a month later. In August, the administration paused work on Revolution Wind for what it said were national security concerns. A month later, a federal judge ruled the project could resume.
Equinor finalized the federal lease for Empire Wind in March 2017, early in Trump’s first term. The final federal approval was in February 2024. Equinor's limited liability company has spent about $4 billion to develop and construct the project so far.
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McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
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