Equinor & the Biggest Offshore Wind Award in History
Equinor, the creator of worlds first floating offshore wind farm, just landed another historic first. Equinor’s first floating windfarm was completed in 2017 off the coast of Scotland, but now the energy giant is coming to America.
New York City Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced in January that the winners of the State’s most recent large scale offshore wind solicitation would be Equinor’s Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1.
VIA www.businesswire.com “Under the award, Equinor and incoming strategic partner BP will provide 1,260 megawatts (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. The 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 deal with NYSERDA, Equinor and new soon to be partner, none other than British Petroleum (BP), will transform two of New York ports into giant large scale offshore wind working industrial facilities. The South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) and the Port of Albany will position New York as a major power and hub in the offshore wind industry.
“These projects will deliver homegrown, renewable electricity to New York and play a major role in the State’s ambitions of becoming a global offshore wind hub. The U.S. East Coast is one of the most attractive growth markets for offshore wind in the world. 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. These projects will also create value through economies of scale and support our strategic ambition of becoming a global offshore wind major,” said Anders Opedal, CEO of Equinor.
The SBMT will receive significant investment from Equinor and span 73 acres marking it as one of the largest dedicated offshore wind facilities in the United States. The Port of Albany will get the help of wind industry giants, Marmen and Welcon, to make it Americas first offshore wind tower and transition piece manufacturing facilities. Empire wind is 15-30miles southeast of Long Island and will span a huge 80,000 acres. Beacon wind is over 60 miles east of Montauk Point and will cover an ever larger 128,000 acres.
“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. 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,” said Siri Espedal Kindem, President of Equinor Wind U.S.
The Offshore Wind Industry has finally made it to America in a serious way and Equinor and New York just established themselves as major players going forward.