Empire Wind Project Near Boro Park Paused Again as Trump Administration Halts Offshore Leases

By Y.M. Lowy

This past May, BoroPark24 reported that the Trump administration had reversed course and allowed the Empire Wind offshore project in Sunset Park to move forward after briefly shutting it down. At the time, the stop order was lifted following pressure from city and state officials, who said the project would create jobs and provide power to hundreds of thousands of New York City homes.

Now, the project is on hold once again. 

On December 22, the Trump administration announced it is pausing leases for five offshore wind projects along the East Coast, including Empire Wind 1, New York’s largest offshore wind development. 

Empire Wind 1 is located about 15 to 20 miles off the coast of Long Island, but its impact is close to home. The project includes an operations and maintenance hub at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park, just minutes from Boro Park. The terminal has been a major source of local construction and union jobs tied directly to the project.

This marks the second halt to the $5 billion project in 2025. Earlier this year, construction was paused in April before resuming in May. This time, federal officials cited national security concerns, saying offshore wind turbines could interfere with radar systems along the East Coast.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the pause was meant to address emerging security risks and protect the public, stating that national security considerations now outweigh the benefits of continued construction.

Empire Wind 1 is operated by Norwegian energy company Equinor and is more than 60 percent complete. Once operational, it is expected to supply electricity to roughly 500,000 New York City homes. The project has already supported nearly 4,000 jobs, many connected to work at the Sunset Park marine terminal.

Equinor said it is complying with the federal order while continuing to work with regulators, maintaining that the project has met all required security and regulatory standards developed over several years.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, along with the governors of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, criticized the pause, warning it could raise energy costs and result in significant job losses.