OSLO, April 30 (Reuters) - Equinor ( EQNR ) on

Wednesday said it believes the decision of U.S. President Donald

Trump's administration to halt the construction of a

multi-billion dollar offshore wind power project is unlawful and

that the group may take legal action.

In a blow to the nascent U.S. offshore wind industry,

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on April 16 the Biden

administration had failed to conduct enough environmental

analysis before approving the Empire Wind development in New

York state.

Equinor ( EQNR ) on Wednesday said the project was about 30% complete

at the time it was halted.

The group has spent some $2.5 billion so far, with further

exposure including guarantees and termination fees of $1.5

billion-$2.0 billion before taking into account tax and other

potential reductions and limitations, it said.

Burgum's announcement this month sent shockwaves through the

industry, raising concerns that fully permitted developments are

not safe.

"We have invested in Empire Wind after obtaining all

necessary approvals, and the order to halt work now is

unprecedented and in our view unlawful," Equinor ( EQNR ) CEO Anders

Opedal said in a statement.

"This is a question of the rights and obligations granted

under legally issued permits, and security of investments based

on valid approvals," he added.

Equinor ( EQNR ), majority-owned by the Norwegian state, won a

federal lease for the project's site off the Atlantic coast

under Trump's previous administration in 2017.

However, on the first day of his second term, Trump ordered

a review of offshore wind permitting and leasing, though the

fully permitted projects had been seen by analysts as safe.

One of the world's top offshore wind developers, Germany's

RWE, last week said it had stopped work on its U.S. projects for

the time being in light of moves against the industry by the

Trump administration.

Equinor ( EQNR ) is now seeking to engage directly with the U.S.

administration to clarify the matter and is considering its

legal options, the company said.

With a planned installed capacity of 810 megawatts, the

project could generate enough electricity to power 500,000 homes

a year and was expected to begin operating in 2027.

Equinor ( EQNR ) on Wednesday reported a stronger-than-expected rise

in its first-quarter operating profit, boosted by a jump in

European gas prices.