$861-Million Logistics Hub for Offshore Wind Farms Breaks Ground at Brooklyn Waterfront

Equinor broke ground on construction at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) in Brooklyn, NY, on June 10, kicking off the revitalization of the port facility into a hub for offshore wind on the East Coast. and a critical contributor to New York’s renewable energy ambitions. Total contract value for the project is estimated at $861 million.

According to the Equinor press release, the 73-acre construction project will create a staging and pre-assembly site for the turbine components of Empire Wind 1 and will include an onshore substation to connect 810 MW of wind power to the Gowanus substation, making Empire Wind 1 the first offshore wind project to connect directly into the New York City grid.

New York City Mayor Adams said in a press release from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), “Today, we are powering up New York’s clean energy economy and creating more than 1,000 union jobs for working-class New Yorkers as we break ground on the largest dedicated offshore wind port in the nation at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

Together with our recent acquisition of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal in nearby Red Hook, we are well on our way to reimagining Brooklyn’s working waterfront for the 21st century, powered by the green economy and through our ‘Green Economy Action Plan’ that will help create jobs and opportunity for generations to come.”

Empire Wind is being developed by Equinor, an  energy company with more than 20 years of experience with offshore wind and a strong existing offshore wind portfolio with assets in key markets including the UK, Poland, Germany and South Korea.

Equinor expects the 54-turbine Empire Wind project to provide  renewable energy for 500,000 New York homes, with a target to deliver first power in late 2026.

Empire Wind is located 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island and spans 80,000 acres, with water depths of between approximately 75 and 135 feet. The lease was acquired in 2017. The project’s two phases, Empire Wind 1 and 2, have a potential capacity of more than 2 GW (810 + 1,260 MW), enough to power over 1 million New York homes.