Norway’s Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) has suspended all construction at its Empire Wind 1 project off the coast of New York, following a Monday stop-work order from the Trump administration that has sent shockwaves through the renewable energy sector.
The directive, issued just days before Christmas, halts five of the most advanced offshore wind farms in the U.S. over newly cited "national security risks."
The Department of the Interior (DOI) enacted the pause based on classified reports from the Department of War, claiming massive turbine blades and reflective towers cause radar interference—referred to as "clutter"—that could obscure military threats.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the move on social media, labeling the projects "expensive, unreliable, and heavily subsidized" while asserting that a single natural gas pipeline could out-produce all five projects combined.
The suspension is a massive blow for Equinor’s Empire Wind 1, which was 60% complete as of December 22.
The 810-megawatt project carries a gross book value of approximately $3.1 billion, including the critical South Brooklyn Marine Terminal hub.
Equinor disclosed it has already drawn $2.8 billion under a project finance loan, warning that an extended suspension would lead to significant financial losses.
This latest federal intervention follows a pattern of administrative hostility toward wind energy.
Since taking office, President Trump has targeted the industry with repeated stop-work orders and the removal of subsidies.
A similar order in August nearly derailed Ørsted’s Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island; that project was only allowed to resume after a federal judge branded the government’s actions "arbitrary and capricious."
Industry advocates are already preparing legal challenges, arguing that these projects had previously passed rigorous, multi-year reviews by the Department of Defense.
However, with the administration now leaning on classified national security justifications, developers face a potentially longer and more complex path to resuming construction.