Norwegian energy group Equinor said on Monday it was complying with a stop work order issued by the US for its Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project and engaging with authorities.
The US Department of the Interior said earlier on Monday it had suspended leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects over national security concerns.
Empire Wind is complying with the notice ordering the suspension of ongoing activities and engaging with relevant authorities to better understand the matter, Equinor said in a statement.
The project off the coast of New York has a capacity of 810 megawatts, enough to power 500,000 homes, and was more than 60 per cent complete, the company added.
The stop work order threatened the progress of ongoing activities and without a swift resolution there could be a "significant impact" to the project, Equinor said.
Empire Wind, including the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal from where its construction is handled, had a gross book value of around $3.1 billion on September 30, 2025.
The total amount drawn under the project finance term loan was around $2.8 billion as of November 30, 2025, according to the company. It marks the second stop work order for the project. Equinor in July booked a $763 million impairment related to Empire Wind 1 and the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal project.
(Reporting by Nora Buli and Essi Lehto, editing by Stine Jacobsen and Nia Williams)
