Empire Offshore Wind LLC said it is complying with a stop-work notice received from the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on 22 December, ordering the suspension of ongoing activities on the US Outer Continental Shelf on national security grounds.

The Department of the Interior confirmed that a total of five offshore wind projects under construction received notices. Empire Offshore Wind LLC said it is engaging with relevant authorities to better understand the matter, adding that it has experience operating offshore energy infrastructure and working with military and civilian authorities to ensure compliance with national security requirements.

See also: Trump administration suspends 5 East Coast offshore wind projects

Empire Offshore Wind LLC said the project is designed to connect to New York’s grid and, once completed, provide enough power to electrify 500,000 homes. The company said it has coordinated with federal officials on national security reviews since executing the lease in 2017, including with the Department of War.

The developer said it is complying with national security-related requirements identified through a regulatory process conducted over several years, and that it plans to continue working with BOEM and other federal agencies to implement necessary mitigation for the project.

The project is more than 60% complete, with trenching, cable-laying, and cable pulling ongoing on the outer continental shelf, the company said. It added that dozens of vessels, around 1,000 people, and more than a hundred companies in the US and globally have been working in coordination on the project, and warned that without a swift solution, the order could have a significant impact on progress.

Empire Offshore Wind LLC said it and its contractors are safely suspending all ongoing activities on the Outer Continental Shelf, while retaining the ability to carry out activities needed to respond to emergency situations and/or prevent impacts to health, safety, and the environment.

The company said Empire Wind is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and that the construction phase has put nearly 4,000 people to work, including within the lease area and in the revitalisation of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

As of 30 September 2025, Empire Wind had a gross book value of around $3.1 billion, including the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, the company said. It added that the total amount drawn under the project finance term loan facility as of 30 November 2025 was around $2.8 billion.

Ownership of Empire Offshore Wind LLC is held through Equinor Wind US LLC. Equinor said it has operated in the US for more than 35 years and has invested more than $60 billion in the country to date across oil, ga,s and renewables.