Empire Wind to resume construction after judge lifts Trump suspension

The preliminary injunction issued by Judge Carl J. Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is the latest setback for President Donald Trump‘s efforts to stop offshore wind projects.

Equinor, the Norwegian company developing Empire Wind, said it “will now focus on safely restarting construction activities that were halted during the suspension period.”

“In addition, the project will continue to engage with the U.S. government to ensure the safe, secure and responsible execution of its operations,” Equinor said in a statement Thursday.

The Department of Interior halted five wind projects off the East Coast, including Empire Wind, on Dec. 22 claiming national security concerns. Equinor in its lawsuit called the suspension “the latest unlawful action” by the Trump administration to stop the development of offshore wind.

Empire Wind is expected to generate electricity for more than 500,000 homes by 2027, according to Equinor. It will provide power to New York City through a substation in Brooklyn.

The other projects targeted by Trump are Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Vineyard Wind 1 off Massachusetts, Revolution Wind off Rhode Island, and Sunrise Wind off Long Island and New England.

A federal judge on Monday allowed Revolution Wind to resume construction.

A hearing on the suspension of Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. ET at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, owned by Dominion Energy, is the largest project of its kind in the U.S.