Offshore wind industry news : Equinor’s Empire Wind Project, a proposed 816MW offshore wind farm in the US to be built with an investment of around $3 billion, has been named as a winner in New York State’s large-scale competitive offshore wind solicitation.

The Empire Wind Project is expected to help the clean energy and climate goals of New York State, including that of achieving 9GW of offshore wind capacity by 2035.

Equinor said that the Empire offshore wind farm will feature 60-80 wind turbines, with each to have a capacity of more than 10MW. The upcoming offshore New York wind farm is expected to meet the power consumption needs of more than 500,000 homes in the state.

Expected to be commissioned in late 2024, the Empire Wind Project is likely to involve nearly 800 construction and operation roles. Equinor also expects to create locally manufactured turbine foundations in New York’s Capital Region. Construction on the Empire offshore wind farm is likely to begin in 2022.

Commenting on the Empire Wind Project selection, Christer af Geijerstam – President of Equinor Wind US, said: “Being selected in this highly competitive field of bidders shows the confidence that New York leadership has in Equinor’s capabilities of developing large offshore energy projects, delivering affordable renewable energy while also providing significant economic benefits locally. We are now looking forward to working with our partners throughout New York State to bring this project forward.”

Empire Wind Project map

Equinor had secured an 80,000-acre lease area a couple of years back in the New York Bight for the Empire Wind Project, which will be built 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island, covering water depths between 65 and 131 feet.

The Norwegian energy giant has been selected to negotiate a long-term contract for offshore wind renewable energy certificates (ORECs) with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

The award to Equinor will be subject to the execution of the OREC purchase and sale agreement, which is expected to be finalized by the company alongside NYSERDA.

Pal Eitrheim – executive vice president for Equinor New Energy Solutions, commenting on the Empire Wind Project selection, said: “We are proud to have been awarded this major wind project offshore New York. Empire Wind represents a breakthrough for Equinor’s global offshore wind ambitions and is an important step in our development as a broad energy company.

“We have demonstrated that we can be successful in fierce competition, with our first wind project outside of Europe. The project will be the biggest wind farm under contract in our portfolio so far. We are looking forward to developing Empire Wind together with local authorities, local communities and the U.S. industry.”

For more updates on the Empire Wind Project and offshore wind industry news, keep following Business News Today.

  Christer af Geijerstam, Empire Wind Project, Equinor, New York, Pal Eitrheim, USA, Wind industry news