Equinor Halts Activities on Empire Wind Project After US Stop-Work Order
December 23, 2025
Equinor said it is complying with a stop-work order issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which ordered the suspension of offshore construction activities on the Empire Wind project citing national security concerns.
Empire Offshore Wind LLC, the project company, received the notice on December 22 and has begun safely suspending all ongoing work on the U.S. outer continental shelf, while retaining the ability to carry out emergency actions and measures necessary to protect health, safety and the environment.
The Interior Department confirmed that five offshore wind projects under construction received similar notices. Empire Wind said it is engaging with federal authorities to better understand the scope of the order and to address any outstanding concerns.
Equinor said it has coordinated closely with U.S. federal officials on national security reviews since executing the lease for Empire Wind in 2017 and has extensive experience operating offshore energy infrastructure in the United States and globally in compliance with military and civilian requirements.
The Empire Wind project, which would connect to New York’s power grid, is more than 60% complete, with trenching, cable-laying and cable-pulling activities under way prior to the order.
At full capacity, the project would be able to supply enough electricity to power about 500,000 homes.
The stop-work order affects dozens of vessels, around 1,000 workers and more than 100 companies involved in construction activities. Empire Wind said that without a swift resolution, the suspension could have a significant impact on project progress.
Empire Wind is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to strengthen grid reliability amid rising electricity demand. Construction has supported nearly 4,000 jobs, including work linked to the redevelopment of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
As of September 30, 2025, Empire Wind had a gross book value of about $3.1 billion, including the Brooklyn terminal. Around $2.8 billion had been drawn under the project’s finance term loan facility as of November 30, 2025, according to Equinor.
Equinor’s ownership in the project is held through Equinor Wind US LLC. The company said it plans to continue working with BOEM and other federal agencies to implement all required mitigation measures and ensure compliance with national security requirements.
