<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/trump-backflips-lifts-ban-on-huge-us-offshore-wind-farm-allows-work-to-resume/>
"Norwegian energy giant Equinor has been given the all clear to restart
construction of its 810MW Empire Wind offshore wind farm off the coast of New
York, just over a month after the Trump administration issued a stop
work-order.
The United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), part of the
country’s Department of the Interior (DOI), informed Empire Wind management in
a short letter that it was lifting the halt on “ongoing activities related to
the Empire Wind Project … during the ongoing review.”
The BOEM originally issued the stop-work order in mid-April, citing “rushed”
approvals “by the prior Administration without sufficient analysis or
consultation among the relevant agencies as relates to the potential effects
from the project.”
Assessment and approvals for Empire Wind date back to 2018 and followed a
normal timeline and process which included environmental impact reports and
approvals filed and approved throughout 2022 and 2023, before the project was
granted construction and operation approval by the US department of the
interior in November of 2023, followed soon after by approval of its specific
construction and operations plans.
Equinor subsequently closed the necessary project financing for the project
earlier this year and took a final investment decision, before starting
construction at the beginning of April with the initial subsea rock
installation. Work had also begun on constructing a necessary marine terminal
in Brooklyn.
At the time of the stop-work order, Equinor had obtained all necessary permits
for the project after what was described as a four-year federal environmental
review.
Lifting the stop-work order allows construction to immediately restart, only a
week after Equinor was on the verge of terminating the project “within days” if
no progress was made on a resolution."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
