The head of Equinor has described the significant challenges faced by the company's US offshore wind projects due to repeated interventions by the Trump administration, leading to a year of intense lobbying and difficult strategic decisions.

Repeated Project Halts and Initial Response

Equinor's Empire Wind project was halted for a second time by the Trump administration just before the holiday season, following an initial stop-work order in April. In response to the first order, Equinor launched its largest-ever lobbying campaign, internally codenamed "Operation Gandalf." This extensive effort involved nearly 500 meetings and phone calls and successfully resulted in the order being lifted after a month, allowing work to resume.

Strategic Dilemma and Escalating Situation

Faced with the initial resistance, Equinor's chief executive chose to pursue a political solution rather than follow the common US advice to immediately sue. However, the situation escalated in December when a new order was issued, pausing leases for all five major offshore wind farms under construction in the US, including projects by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Iberdrola, Dominion Energy, and Orsted. The administration's stated justification was national security, specifically potential radar interference, though industry insiders doubt this is the genuine motivation.

Current Evaluation and Future Options

The company is now evaluating the new order and faces a critical choice: revive the diplomatic "Operation Gandalf" approach or initiate legal action against the administration, as another affected developer, Dominion Energy, has already done. The executive summarized the stressful year by noting it had left him with "shorter nails, so to speak," indicating the personal toll of the ongoing regulatory battles.