Jan 14 (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Wednesday will consider whether to allow Norwegian offshore wind developer Equinor to resume construction of the Empire Wind project off the coast of New York as the company sues the Trump administration over its suspension of the industry in federal waters.
The hearing in U.S. District Court in Washington comes two days after the same court ruled that Danish offshore wind developer Orsted could restart work on its nearly completed Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island, and as other projects also grapple with the freeze.
Equinor has already spent $4 billion on its project, and said in court papers that it faces likely termination if it cannot proceed by January 16.
Empire Wind is located 20 miles off the coast of Long Island and is about 60% complete. It is expected to produce enough electricity to power about 500,000 homes.
Equinor’s request for an injunction before U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols is the latest in a string of legal challenges to U.S. President Donald Trump’s all-of-government assault on the offshore wind sector.
The court decisions in these cases are high stakes for companies and their shareholders because they could allow multi-billion dollar projects to be completed, but the underlying lawsuits will continue to create uncertainty.
Trump’s Interior Department last month paused activity on five offshore wind leases, citing new classified information on risks to national security from radar interference. Those concerns were revealed in a Defense Department assessment presented to the Interior Department in November, the administration has said.
Offshore wind developers including Equinor have faced repeated disruptions under Trump, who says wind turbines are ugly, expensive and inefficient. Empire Wind was halted previously by the administration for a month last year.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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