A Mighty Wind

"For more than a year, thousands of unionized ironworkers, carpenters, and operating engineers have been constructing a colossal wind farm in an 80,000-acre expanse of ocean south of Long Island. A football-field-size barge, ushered along by tugboats, has been installing the cable that will connect Empire Wind 1 to the grid along the seafloor, a power line so massive that Hugh McElroen, an electrician working on the project, compares it to a "tree trunk.""

"This past April, the federal government froze construction on the project for several weeks - until Governor Kathy Hochul reportedly made a Faustian agreement to grant permits to a natural-gas pipeline Trump wanted built in New York. In December, the Feds ordered another construction halt of Empire Wind 1, along with four other offshore wind projects, arguing the turbines could warp government radar readings. Equinor, the Norwegian energy company behind EW1, swiftly sued and won an injunction on January 15 to continue construction."

Thousands of unionized ironworkers, carpenters, and operating engineers are constructing a large offshore wind farm, Empire Wind 1, in an 80,000-acre area south of Long Island. A barge is installing a massive undersea power cable described as a "tree trunk." The turbines will approach 900 feet and require the world's second-largest crane for assembly. The project could eventually power nearly half of Brooklyn's homes. Federal authorities paused construction multiple times, citing political objections and radar concerns. Equinor sued and obtained an injunction on January 15 allowing work to resume. Completion next year could help address an energy shortfall and meet climate targets.

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