Washington– The developer of a large offshore wind project to serve New York is scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Wednesday, hoping to convince him to lift a Trump administration order that they say could mean the death of the project that is 60% complete.
The Empire Wind project is designed to power more than 500,000 homes. Norwegian company Equinor said it would likely have to terminate the project if construction did not resume soon due to the availability of specialized vessels and huge 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 large offshore wind projects on the East Coast The administration froze days before Christmasciting national security concerns. The developers and states have been sued Trying to obstruct the matter. The Equinor hearing is the second of three hearings for these legal challenges this week; A judge ruled Monday that a project serving Rhode Island and Connecticut can appeal.
Trump has targeted offshore wind since his first days in the White House, most recently calling wind farms “losers” that lose money, destroy landscapes and kill birds. When his administration cited national security concerns, it did not provide any details about those concerns, and at least one expert said offshore projects were still permitted. Years of careful review Which included the Ministry of Defence.
The administration’s position is against offshore wind and renewable energy more broadly It conflicts with dozens of other countries.
The global offshore wind market is growingChina leads the world in new construction. Almost all new electricity Added to the network in 2024, subject to renewal. Experts say the world needs a major build-out of renewable electricity to tackle climate change.
Molly Morris, an Equinor vice president overseeing Empire Wind, said federal officials have given them no explanation of the national security concerns or how to mitigate them.
A specialist heavy lift vessel, Heerema’s Sleipnir, should begin lifting the topside to the project’s offshore substation off and on the transport vessel because the vessel is scheduled to depart Sleipnir by February 1 for other commitments, Morris said. The topside weighs more than 3,000 tons and there are few specialized offshore wind energy installation vessels 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 the project being cancelled. We have been clear and consistent that we stand ready to address any additional security concerns that have not already been addressed through our prolonged engagement with various defense agencies.”
The session was Monday In the same federal court, with Danish energy company Ørsted winning. A judge ruled that work on its project, called Winds of Revolution, could resume while the administration considered ways to alleviate its national security concerns. The winds of revolution are almost complete.
After that session, White House spokesman Taylor Rogers said that the pause aims to protect the national security of the American people, and “we look forward to the final victory in this case.”
The Trump administration has temporarily suspended 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. The New York Attorney General sued Trump administration on Friday regarding Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind.
The Trump administration had previously halted work on both Empire Wind and Revolution Wind. In April, I stopped building in Empire WindHe accused the Biden administration of rushing the permits. Then he allowed work to resume after a month. In August, Management has temporarily suspended work at Revolution Wind What she said were national security concerns. A month later, a federal judge It was ruled that the project could resume.
Equinor is done Empire Wind’s federal lease In March 2017, early in Trump’s first term. Final federal approval was in February 2024. Equinor LLC has spent about $4 billion to develop and build the project so far.
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McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
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