The US District Court for the District of Columbia on 15 January granted Empire Offshore Wind LLC a preliminary injunction that allows construction activities to resume on the Outer Continental Shelf for the 2 GW Empire Wind project. It is 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island, New York.
This does not affect the underlying lawsuit challenging the US Department of the Interior’s December 22, 2025 suspension order, which will proceed.
Empire Wind commented that it will now focus on safely restarting construction activities that were halted during the suspension period. In addition, the project will continue to engage with the US government to ensure the safe, secure and responsible execution of its operations.
Empire Wind is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to deliver a new, near-term source of electricity for New York, regarded as critical for the state’s power supply, and intended to bolster grid reliability at a time of rapidly growing demand. Once completed, the project will be rated at 810-816 MW from 54 Vestas V236 15 MW turbines, with expected commercial operation in 2027, rising to a possible 2 GW if the second phase of the project as originally envisaged, Empire Wind 2, is realised. The aim now is to reset and rebid the project as a stronger offering in future NY solicitations.
Empire Wind 2 was originally planned for over 1200 MW, but its development faced significant challenges, resulting in termination in early 2025 owing to rising costs and supply chain issues.
