The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed its environmental review of the proposed Empire Wind Farm Projects off the New York coast, which would have a combined capacity of 2076MW.
Equinor and BP JV Empire Wind proposes to construct two offshore wind projects, known as Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2, in its lease area located about 12 nautical miles (nm) south of Long Island, New York, and about 16.9 nm east of Long Branch, New Jersey.
The two projects will be electrically isolated and independent from each other.
The company proposes to construct up to 57 wind turbines for Empire Wind 1 and up to 90 wind turbines for Empire Wind 2, as well as up to two offshore substations with two cable routes connecting to the onshore electrical grid on Long Island.
A Notice of Availability will publish in the Federal Register on 15 of September 2023, for the proposed project’s final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The final EIS analyses the potential environmental impacts of the activities laid out in Empire Wind, LLC’s Construction and Operations Plan.
BOEM plans to issue a Record of Decision on whether to approve the project, and if so, identify conditions of approval, this autumn.