The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a Clean Air Act permit for Equinor and BP’s 816MW Empire Wind 1 project offshore New York.
Before issuing a permit, EPA conducted an air quality analysis that showed the main air quality impacts of the project will occur during construction and will be offshore over the water area around the project.
The air quality analysis also showed that the impacts on air quality from the construction and operation of the project will not cause or contribute to a violation of federal air quality standards.
EPA’s approval is in concert with other federal approvals and actions for the project, including the issuance of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Record of Decision.
The project will include up to 147 offshore wind turbines, two offshore substations, and the associated cables needed to transport the electricity.
There will also be onshore components associated with the Empire Wind project that are not addressed in the air permit. Onshore components are being addressed in separate federal, state, and local permitting or government processes.
Offshore construction is anticipated to begin in 2024 and be completed within four years.
“EPA is happy to partner with New York state in leading the way to a clean energy future. When built, this project is expected to generate more than 2000MW of electrical power for New York State – enough to power as many as a million homes,” said Regional Administrator Lisa Garcia.