Equinor said in a statement on Thursday that it had taken "immediate steps" to comply with the decision, but it was also "considering its legal remedies, including appealing the order".

Valued by Equinor at $2.5 billion, the Empire Wind 1 project includes 54 turbines designed to deliver 810 megawatts of energy into Brooklyn, powering 500,000 homes.

But US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Wednesday that his department was ordering construction "immediately" halted until further review of information suggesting that former president Joe Biden's administration "rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis".

Shortly after returning to the White House for a second term in January, Trump signed a series of executive orders bringing the wind energy sector to a standstill, including a temporary freeze on federal permitting and loans for offshore and onshore wind projects.

"We're not going to do the wind thing," Trump said in January, calling them "big, ugly windmills" that were dangerous to wildlife.

Equinor noted that the federal lease for Empire Wind was signed with the US administration in 2017 -- during Trump's first term -- and "validly secured all necessary federal and state permits".

"We will engage directly with BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) and the Department of Interior to understand the questions raised about the permits we have received from authorities," it said.

The Empire Wind project, to be built in two phases around 15 to 30 miles (24-48 kilometres) southeast of Long Island, is the first offshore wind project that would have delivered power directly to New York City.

Construction began last year and it was expected to start electricity production in 2027.

It is part of New York State's renewable energy strategy for meeting rising energy demands while reducing the use of fossil fuels, Equinor said.

po/lth

Equinor