Offshore

Equinor, bp partner to build offshore wind hub at New York port

Equinor, bp partner to build offshore wind hub at New York port
An artist rendering of a planned offshore wind assembly and staging hub to be developed by Equinor and bp (Courtesy: Equinor)

Equinor and bp said they plan to invest up to $250 million to build an offshore wind staging and assembly hub at a Brooklyn, New York, port. The facility is expected to meet the needs of the companies' ongoing projects as well as the region's burgeoning offshore wind industry.

The companies signed an agreement with port operator Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the New York City Economic Development Corporation. The intent is to develop a "low-emissions facility" at the port, the companies said.

The project is expected to add 1,000 new jobs to the region.

An artist rendering of a planned offshore wind assembly and staging hub to be built on 73 acres at the Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Brooklyn, New York. Equinor and bp say the project will cost between $200 million and $250 million and create 1,000 new jobs. (Courtesy: Equinor)

Siri Espedal Kindem, president of Equinor Wind U.S., said the agreement shows New York's commitment to "become a focal point of the region's offshore wind industry."

Equinor and bp are 50-50 partners in both the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects offshore New York. The Empire Wind and Beacon Wind leases -- acquired in 2017 and 2019, respectively -- each have a potential installed capacity of 2 GW.

The Brooklyn offshore wind hub could also support other projects in the region, the companies said. In February, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management auctioned six leases in the New York Bight area offshore New York and New Jersey for a record $4.37 billion.

A year after President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for a review of American supply chains, the Department of Energy (DOE) released what it called its first-ever comprehensive assessment of the U.S. clean energy supply chain.

Financial support will also be needed to spur offshore wind port and vessel infrastructure, both of which are in their infancy. The federal government can also help by prioritizing financing of offshore wind ports and vessels through the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration programs and the DOE Loan Programs Office.

Siemens Gamesa, Dominion Energy, and Ørsted announced that they will partner to build a $200 million blade finishing facility in Portsmouth, Virginia. (Photo: John Engel/Renewable Energy World)

There has been some progress on building out the U.S. offshore wind supply chain.

In October 2021, Siemens Gamesa, Dominion Energy, and Ørsted announced that they would partner to build a $200 million blade finishing facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, to support Dominion's 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project that is in development.

A month later, the first subsea HVDC cable facility in the U.S. opened in Charleston, South Carolina. French fiber optic cable manufacturer Nexans partnered to deliver 1,000 km of cables to Ørsted and Eversource for North American offshore wind farm development until 2027.

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