*

Equinor ( EQNR ) resumes Empire Wind construction after month-long

halt

*

Interior Secretary halted project over environmental

concerns

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Equinor ( EQNR ) spent $50 million weekly during construction halt

(Adds background and detail from statement in paragraphs 3, 5,

8-9 and 16-17)

By Nichola Groom

May 19 (Reuters) - The Trump administration lifted a

month-old stop-work order on a major offshore wind facility

planned off the coast of New York, the project's developer said

on Monday.

Norwegian energy company Equinor ( EQNR ) said construction

activities were allowed to resume on Empire Wind, a $5 billion

project that is expected to one day provide power for half a

million New York homes.

The reversal marks a critical reprieve for the offshore wind

industry after Equinor ( EQNR ) had warned it stood to lose billions of

dollars due to the order which sent shockwaves through the

offshore wind industry, raising concerns that fully permitted

developments representing billions in investment are not safe.

"I would like to thank President Trump for finding a

solution that saves thousands of American jobs and provides for

continued investments in energy infrastructure in the U.S.,"

Equinor ( EQNR ) CEO Anders Opedal said in a statement.

He also thanked Norway's leadership for raising the issue

with the Trump administration. Norway's Prime Minister Jonas

Gahr Stoere and Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg met with the

president in Washington last month.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul was also instrumental in

getting the project back on track, Opedal said.

Officials from the U.S. Interior Department, which issued

the order last month, were not immediately available for

comment.

Equinor ( EQNR ) said it would make an updated economic assessment in

the second quarter, while aiming to proceed with offshore

installation in 2025 and achieve commercial operation by 2027.

The Norwegian energy company, which had

warned

it was spending $50 million weekly to keep the project

afloat during the suspension, will now work with suppliers and

regulatory bodies to minimise impacts from the delay, it said.

Equinor ( EQNR ) purchased the Empire Wind lease during Trump's first

administration in 2017, and the 810-megawatt project was

approved under former President Joe Biden in 2023.

The project, which will use wind turbines from Vestas

, is 30% complete, according to the company.

On April 16, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Equinor ( EQNR ) to

halt construction, saying the Biden administration had rushed

the project's approval without sufficient environmental

analysis.

He cited concerns raised in an internal report by the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which

assists the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy

Management in permitting offshore wind projects by assessing

impacts on marine mammals and fisheries.

Trump has vowed to expand domestic energy production as part

of his energy dominance agenda, but wind is excluded from that

effort. He issued an executive order on his first day in office

pausing new leasing and permitting of wind projects, which he

says are ugly, expensive and harmful to wildlife.

An industry group praised the administration for lifting the

stop-work order.

"The administration is clearing the way for major

investments to move forward - activating American shipyards,

creating high-quality jobs, and accelerating the buildout of

infrastructure needed to deliver reliable, domestic energy to

the East Coast," National Ocean Industries Association President

Erik Milito said in a statement.

The United States has four operating offshore wind farms.

Aside from Empire Wind, another three are under

construction. Two are owned by Denmark's Orsted:

Sunrise Wind off the coast of New York and Revolution Wind off

the coast of Rhode Island. Dominion Energy's ( D ) Coastal

Virginia Offshore Wind is also underway.