New York awards Equinor largest-ever U.S. offshore wind contract

Award was announced in New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State ofthe State address

The state will contract with Equinor Wind US LLC for the development of two new offshore wind farms more than 20 miles off the shore of Long Island, N.Y., in what is the largest procurement of renewable energy by a state in U.S. history. Upon completion, the two offshore wind farms will yield a combined 2,490 megawatts (MW) of carbon-free energy, bring another $8.9 billion in investment, and create more than 5,200 jobs.

New York has secured commitments from companies to manufacture wind turbine components within the state and plans to make New York State a global wind energy manufacturing powerhouse include upgrades to create five dedicated port facilities, including:

• The first offshore wind tower-manufacturing facility in the U.S. to be built at the Port of Albany;
• An offshore wind turbine staging facility and operations and maintenance hub to be established at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal;
• Increasing the use of the Port of Coeymans for cutting-edge turbine foundation manufacturing, and
• Buttressing the ongoing operations and maintenance out of Port Jefferson and Port of Montauk Harbor in Long Island.

EQUINOR PARTNERS WITH BP

Equinor said that. under the award, it and incoming strategic partner BP will provide 1,260 MW of renewable offshore wind power from Empire Wind 2, and another 1,230 MW of power from Beacon Wind 1—adding to the existing commitment to provide New York with 816 MW of renewable power from Empire Wind 1—totaling 3.3 gigawatts (GW) of power to the state.

It noted that execution of the procurement award is subject to the successful negotiation of a purchase and sale agreement, which the partnership looks forward to finalizing together with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

As part of the award by NYSERDA, the companies will partner with the state to transform two New York ports—the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) and the Port of Albany—into large-scale offshore wind working industrial facilities that position New York to become an offshore wind industry hub.

“The successful bids for Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1 represent a game-changer for our offshore wind business in the U.S. and underline Equinor’s commitment to be a leading company in the energy transition,” said Anders Opedal, CEO of Equinor.

“Together, Equinor and the State of New York will create a robust offshore wind supply chain capable of manufacturing, assembling, and staging these projects at scale,” said Siri Espedal Kindem, President of Equinor Wind U.S. “As Equinor works to expand its renewable energy presence across the United States and the globe, New York’s leadership clearly illustrates the transformative benefits of offshore wind on climate goals and economic activity alike. We are looking forward to developing Empire Wind and Beacon Wind together with local authorities, communities and our incoming partner BP in growing this new industry.”