NY Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Feb. 29 that New York has conditionally awarded two offshore wind projects from its fourth offshore wind solicitation – the Empire Wind 1 planned 810MW project, (developed by Equinor) and Sunrise Wind, a planned 924MW project (developed by Orsted and Eversource).
The projects are expected to create more than 800 construction jobs and provide $2 billion in economic development statewide, including the construction of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal assembly and staging port; $80 million in construction and manufacturing associated with advanced foundation components at the Port of Coeymans; $135 million in electric grid infrastructure investment on Long Island; and $200 million in transmission related investments to support disadvantaged communities.
Totaling over 1,700MW of clean energy, the wind frams will be the largest power generation projects in New York in over 35 years once they enter operation in 2026 and will power 1 million homes – approximately 10% of New York City and Long Island’s electricity needs.
According to the release, as mature projects, Empire Wind I, located 15 miles off New York’s shore, and Sunrise Wind, located more than 30 miles east of the eastern point of Long Island, have already completed most federal and state permitting milestones. Empire Wind I received final approval of its Construction and Operations plan from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) last week. Both projects are expected to ramp up construction activity this year.