The US has ordered the construction of Equinor New York Offshore Wind Project to be halted

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on Wednesday that he had instructed his agency to stop construction of Equinor's Empire Wind off-shore wind project near the coast of New York.

Burgum wrote in a blog post on X that information indicated the Biden administration rushed to approve the project without adequate environmental analysis.

Burgum stated that he had spoken with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The National Marine Fisheries Service is housed in Commerce, and it's responsible for approving offshore wind installations.

Interior's decision is a result of a review on offshore wind leasing and permitting that was ordered by President Donald Trump in January, his first day in the Oval Office. Interior officials could not be reached for comment.

Empire Wind was approved in November 2023 by the administration led by former President Joe Biden.

The area of the lease, which will be home to two projects, lies 12 nautical miles south-east of Long Island in New York. Together, the facilities are expected to produce enough electricity per year to power 700,000.

It was anticipated that the project would start producing electricity in 2027. The project is an important part of New York State's efforts in combating climate change and reducing the use of fossil-fuels.

Equinor, a Norwegian oil company, and officials from New York State were not immediately available to comment. (Reporting and editing by Nichola Reese; Nichola Groom)

(source: Reuters)