Norway-headquartered energy developer Equinor last month broke ground on a project to turn New York City’s South Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a construction hub for Equinor’s first US offshore wind project, Empire Wind 1.
Designed by Jacobs, the 73-acre port redevelopment will create a staging and pre-assembly site for the 54-turbine, 810MW wind farm, to be located 15 miles southeast of Long Island in water depths of between 75 and 135 feet.
Equinor acquired the lease for the 80,000-acre offshore site in 2017.
The company said Empire Wind 1 would power 500,000 New York homes, with a target to deliver first power in late 2026.
It will be followed with the larger, 1.26GW Empire Wind 2.
Together, the two farms will provide enough electricity to power over a million New York homes.
The terminal will house an onshore substation to connect the wind power to the Gowanus substation, making Empire Wind 1 the first offshore wind project to connect directly into the New York City grid.
Set to be one of the biggest dedicated offshore wind hubs in the US, the terminal will also be home to Empire Wind’s operations and maintenance base, with a control room monitoring turbine data around-the-clock.
Equinor Renewables Americas president Molly Morris called the groundbreaking “a defining moment for Empire Wind 1 and for the long-term renewable energy ambitions of New York State and beyond”.
To develop the terminal, Equinor is working with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and terminal operator Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, a joint venture of Red Hook Terminals and Industry City.
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved Empire Wind’s construction and operations plan in November 2023.
In March, Empire Wind 1 announced a construction project labour agreement that includes around 1,000 union jobs at the terminal site.
The New York State Public Service Commission gave final approval to begin construction in May.
Equinor is also developing its 4.1GW Atlas Wind scheme off the coast of California.
- Subscribe here to get stories about construction around the world in your inbox three times a week
Further reading:
