Offshore wind developer Equinor and energy company bp have finalised the purchase and sale agreements with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1.
Once completed, Equinor and bp’s portfolio of active offshore wind projects, including Empire Wind 1, Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1, will produce enough electricity to power about 2 million New York homes.
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“Today’s announcement sets Equinor and bp on the path to provide over 3.3GW of offshore wind power for New York. It also offers a large-scale, tangible demonstration of the incredible economic activity and carbon reduction potential being driven by New York’s green energy transition,” said Siri Espedal Kindem, President of Equinor Wind US.
The agreements will see Equinor and bp provide generation capacity of 1,260MW of renewable offshore wind power from Empire Wind 2, and another 1,230MW of power from Beacon Wind 1.
Empire Wind is located 24-48km (15-30 miles) southeast of Long Island and spans 32,375 hectares (80,000 acres), with water depths of between 20-40 metres (65 and 131 feet). Beacon Wind is located more than 97 km (60 miles) east of Montauk Point and 32 km (20 miles) south of Nantucket and covers 51,800 hectares (128,000 acres).
The partners will also make investments in New York’s infrastructure, such as port upgrades to transform South Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a staging and assembly facility for the industry, as well as an operations and maintenance base for the projects.
Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO, NYSERDA, said, “Meeting our nation-leading offshore wind goal of 9,000MW by 2035 will be an essential economic driver for the state, and these projects will help transform our energy system while providing thousands of family-sustaining jobs to bolster our growing green economy.”
Felipe Arbelaez, bp’s senior vice president for zero-carbon energy, added: “These are world-class assets and we are moving quickly and safely to get them producing the energy people need in the way that they want it – all the while creating positive ripple effects for the surrounding communities and industry.
“Today’s milestone is a critical step forward and we will continue to work hard to deliver the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects, providing clean energy and stable returns for decades to come.”
