VIDEO: South Brooklyn Marine Terminal transformation kicks off

L to R: Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, NYSERDA resident and CEO Doreen Harris, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, president of Equinor Renewables Americas Molly Morris, Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10), president and CEO of NYCEDC Andrew Kimball, executive director of UPROSE Elizabeth Yeampierre.

Equinor today broke ground on construction at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT), formally kicking off the revitalization of the historic port facility into a hub for offshore wind on the U.S. East Coast and a critical contributor to New York’s renewable energy ambitions.

The groundbreaking ceremony included remarks from New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10), NYSERDA president and CEO Doreen Harris, executive director of Brooklyn community organization UPROSE Elizabeth Yeampierre, and president of Equinor Renewables Americas Molly Morris.

As we reported last month (see story), New York City, the State of New York, have reached an agreement that will enable the city to transform the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a modern maritime port and mixed-use community hub while allowing the port authority to pursue long-term expansion of the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island. In parallel, the Adams administration is transforming the city-owned South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) into one of the largest offshore wind port facilities in the nation. In March 2022, NYCEDC and its subtenant, SSBMT, completed a long-term agreement with Equinor to reactivate the terminal as an offshore wind staging and assembly port.

SBMT will support Equinor’s first U.S. offshore wind project, Empire Wind 1, while placing Sunset Park and New York City at the heart of the renewable energy industry for decades to come. When completed, the facility will be one of the largest dedicated offshore wind hubs in the United States, designed to accommodate future offshore wind projects.

“Today’s groundbreaking at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal is a defining moment for Empire Wind 1 and for the long-term renewable energy ambitions of New York State and beyond,” said Morris. “We are proud to restore this historic working waterfront in Brooklyn and grateful for the shared commitment to offshore wind shown by this community and by city, state, and federal leaders who made this milestone possible. This construction will result in union jobs and local economic benefits while supporting a project that will deliver homegrown power to New Yorkers and position the state as a leader in the advancing offshore wind industry.”

The 73-acre construction project will create a staging and pre-assembly site for the turbine components of Empire Wind 1 and will include an onshore substation to connect 810 MW of wind power to the Gowanus substation, making Empire Wind 1 the first offshore wind project to connect directly into the New York City grid.

SBMT will also be home to Empire Wind 1’s long-term Operations & Maintenance Base, which includes a control room that measures turbine data and monitors the project around-the-clock. SBMT is being developed as a low-emissions facility, with solar power and EV charging stations installed onsite.

SBMT is being redeveloped together with New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and terminal operator Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT). SSBMT is a joint venture of Red Hook Terminals and Industry City.

Empire Wind’s federal Construction and Operations Plan (COP) was approved by the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in November 2023.

In March, Empire Wind 1 announced a Project Labor Agreement to build SBMT that includes more than 1,000 union jobs in Brooklyn.

The New York State Public Service Commission gave final approval to begin construction at SBMT in May.

Last week, Equinor and NYSERDA finalized an offtake agreement that provides a range of economic benefits in New York City and across the state. Investments include increased funding for workforce and community development, with significant investments already underway.

The Offshore Wind Innovation Hub, a Brooklyn-based accelerator program for offshore wind innovation, announced its second cohort Thursday.

The Offshore Wind Ecosystem fund has awarded $5 million to a range of New York City organizations to support sustainable growth, workforce development, and empowerment of underserved communities.

The Offshore Learning Center is now under design and, later this year, will become a public space for offshore wind education.

Empire Wind 1 has also made a strong commitment to support businesses owned by minorities, women (MWBEs), and service-disabled veterans (SDVOBs), mostly focused on onshore development at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

The 54-turbine Empire Wind project will provide enough reliable, renewable energy for 500,000 New York homes, with a target to deliver first power in late 2026.