Following the order of the US Department of the Interior (DOI) to halt all construction activities on the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she would fight the federal decision.
“This fully federally permitted project has already put shovels in the ground before the President’s executive orders—it’s exactly the type of bipartisan energy solution we should be working on” , Hochul said in a statement on 16 April.
“As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future.”
New York Governor pointed out that Empire Wind 1, which is already under construction, is already employing hundreds of New Yorkers and has contributed to the state and the country’s economy.
“Every single day, I’m working to make energy more affordable, reliable and abundant in New York and the federal government should be supporting those efforts rather than undermining them. Empire Wind 1 is already employing hundreds of New Yorkers, including 1,000 good-paying union jobs as part of a growing sector that has already spurred significant economic development and private investment throughout the state and beyond” , Kathy Hochul said.
The State of New York and Equinor signed Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificate (OREC) Purchase and Sale Agreement for Empire Wind 1 in June 2024, following the state’s fourth offshore wind solicitation, in which Equinor re-bid the project saying it wanted to ensure its viability given the global economic conditions, as well as the conditions within the offshore wind market, changed since the initial OREC was awarded in 2019.
At the beginning of 2025, the developer reached a financial close on Empire Wind 1, with the manufacturing of some of the components already having started in 2024.
In February this year, Equinor was granted approval by the New York State Public Service Commission (NYPSC) to build and operate the offshore and onshore transmission facilities for the 810 MW Empire Wind 1.
According to community and mariner updates from the project, this month, seabed preparation work started at the offshore wind farm site with rock installation at wind turbine locations, ahead of foundation installation work.
Located 25-48 kilometres southeast of Long Island, the 810 MW Empire Wind 1 offshore wind farm will comprise 54 Vestas 15 MW turbines. The project is planned to produce first power in late 2026, with full commissioning in 2027.