Norwegian energy developer Equinor says it has suspended construction on its $5-billion Empire Wind offshore energy project in New York in response to a notice from the Trump administration directing it to halt work pending a new review.

Empire Wind, which was permitted last year, is planned to have 54 turbines at an 80,000-acre site located 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island. With an 810-MW capacity, it would power as many as 500,000 homes via underwater cables connecting to a substation in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. 

Equinor says the project’s gross book value reached about $2.5 billion as of March 31. 

While administration officials have indicated they hope to hasten many projects by reducing regulatory reviews and speeding up permitting, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrote on social media that the review is needed because of “information that suggests the Biden administration rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.” President Donald Trump, who has long voiced rhetoric opposing offshore wind, issued an executive order in January directing additional review of approved projects. 

The decision to halt work came from the Dept. of the Interior in consultation with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Burgum added. 

Construction led by Skanska started at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in June 2024 after Empire received all its necessary state and federal permits. Offshore work was scheduled to begin this year. The wind farm was expected to begin delivering power in late 2026 and to be fully operational in 2027.

Equinor said in a statement that it is complying with the order, but is also “engaging with relevant authorities to clarify this matter and is considering legal remedies, including appealing the order.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized the stop-work order, calling it “federal overreach” in a statement. 

“I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future,” Hochul said. 

Equinor finalized its lease for Empire Wind in 2017 during the first Trump administration. It is developing the project under a contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Doreen Harris, president and CEO of NYSERDA, said in a statement that the order to halt work “goes against the Trump administration’s own prioritization of independent and locally produced energy and shows a complete disregard for a once-in-a-generation economic powerhouse like offshore wind energy.”

The move sends a chilling signal to anyone investing in clean energy in the U.S., Harris added. The same day that Equinor confirmed the pause of work on Empire Wind, E2, a group that promotes environmentally sustainable economic policies, said it found 16 clean energy projects with a combined cost totaling nearly $8 billion were abandoned in the first three months of this year alone. 

“Clean energy companies still want to invest in America, but uncertainty over Trump administration policies and the future of critical clean energy tax credits are taking a clear toll,” said Michael Timberlake, communications director at E2, in a statement. “If this self-inflicted and unnecessary market uncertainty continues, we’ll almost certainly see more projects paused, more construction halted and more job opportunities disappear.”