Construction of an offshore wind project off the coast of New York can restart following a Thursday court order. The decision allows Empire Wind developer Equinor to continue building offshore wind turbines after a December order from the Trump administration halted progress on the project, which is more than halfway complete.
Judge Carl J. Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction, stating that the Interior Department likely violated the law when it suspended the project without proper notice, and that the suspension would cause Empire Wind to suffer “irreparable harm.” The injunction allows construction crews to continue while Nichols works toward a final decision on Empire Wind’s lawsuit.
Empire Wind is about 60% complete and is expected to generate electricity for more than 500,000 New York homes by 2027, according to CNBC. Equinor, the Norwegian company developing the $5 billion project, told the court further delays posed “existential risk” to the wind farm.
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Nichols’ decision marks the second court loss this week for the Interior Department’s decision to pause all offshore wind leasing and construction, which cited national security concerns from potential radar interference. On Monday, Judge Royce Lamberth ruled Revolution Wind off Rhode Island could continue construction, The New York Times reported. Both judges were appointed by Trump during his first term.
Why did the Trump administration stop offshore wind construction?
The Interior Department halted construction on five East Coast wind projects on Dec. 22, citing national security concerns from classified reports. The government said offshore wind turbines create radar interference, or “clutter,” that obscures real targets and generates false alarms for military radar systems.
The suspension targeted Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind in New York, Revolution Wind in Rhode Island and Connecticut, Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind in Virginia. Together, the projects represent $25 billion in investment and would supply electricity to more than 2.5 million buildings, according to Turn Forward, an offshore wind advocacy group.
The Interior Department said the 90-day pause would allow the department to work with project developers and states to assess whether security risks could be mitigated. The agency noted radar detection thresholds can be raised to reduce false alarms, but said in its announcement that higher thresholds “could cause the radar to miss actual targets.”
What are the reactions to Empire Wind’s court win?
Equinor said it will “now focus on safely restarting construction activities” following the court decision. The company added it would “continue to engage with the U.S. government to ensure the safe, secure and responsible execution of its operations,” according to a statement Thursday.
In a video posted on social media, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is “sick and tired” of going to court to fight the federal government’s decisions, which she said are “designed to do nothing other than hurt workers, hurt our states, hurt our economy and hurt our energy future.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and other members of the Trump administration have not yet responded publicly to the judge’s ruling.
A Virginia court will hear arguments Friday on the Coastal Virginia project, which is the largest proposed offshore wind farm in the U.S. at 2.6 gigawatts. The remaining projects have similar lawsuits pending.
