Equinor and BP have agreed to turn the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal complex into a major regional hub for offshore wind in the US.
Under the agreement, the New York terminal will be transformed into a new port facility (pictured) capable of staging and assembling offshore components for the partnership’s Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects as well as other wind farms on the East Coast.
It represents a total investment of between €181m and €226m in infrastructure upgrades and will also ensure the port’s development as a low-emissions facility.
The 73-acre project will be the only industrial waterfront site in the New York City area with the capacity to accommodate wind turbine generator staging and assembly activities at the scale required by component manufacturers, Equinor said.
It is also anticipated to support over 1,000 jobs annually in the region.
The agreement was co-signed by terminal operator Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT) and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
Offshore wind projects on the US east coast are key building blocks to accelerate profitable growth in renewables and Equinor’s ambition to install 12-16 GW of renewables capacity by 2030, the Norwegian developer said.
Equinor president of Wind US Siri Espedal Kindem said: “This agreement marks a major step forward in our commitment to New York State to both provide renewable power and to spark fresh economic activity, while creating enduring jobs.
“New York has shown unflagging determination to become a focal point of the region’s offshore wind industry, and this agreement offers tangible evidence that this vision is quickly coming to life.”
NYCEDC chief strategy officer and executive vice president Lindsay Greene said: “We are enormously proud to lay the groundwork today for our vision of making New York City a nation-leading hub for the offshore wind industry.
“Working together with our partners at Equinor, bp, and SSBMT, we are also advancing economic recovery and increasing diversity in waterfront construction, by helping local minority- and women-owned business enterprises benefit from the growing offshore wind industry and take advantage of the green jobs of the future.”
BP senior vice president for zero carbon energy Felipe Arbelaez said: “Today marks the first of many positive ripple effects from this project – and we want them to reverberate far and wide.
“As we reinvent energy, we also want to help reinvent the communities that help deliver it by investing in the skills and capabilities needed.
“By creating this regional hub we are able to do just that and it brings us all one step closer to delivering this incredible offshore wind development.”