Pursuant to this directive, federal agencies have stopped all permitting and approval activities, and in one case, have even stopped a fully permitted project in New York that had already begun construction.

After quarter close, Equinor received a halt work order from the US government on the offshore construction on the outer continental shelf for the 810 MW Empire Wind project. Equinor’s CEO and President, Anders Opedal, described this as “unlawful” and said that the company is seeking dialogue with the proper authorities and assessing legal options.