Two European companies with long-time activities in the global petroleum fields are uniting to turn a Brooklyn marine terminal into a port for the fledgling offshore wind industry in the U.S.
Norway’s Equinor and bp, once known as British Petroleum, will work to transform the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) complex in New York into a world-class offshore wind port, capable of staging and assembling offshore wind technology components for the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects and for the offshore industry on the East Coast.
An operations and maintenance hub and staging area will be created under this project, which will require an investment of $200 million to $250 million. The Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects, once completed and operational, will supply 3.3 GW of energy, which will be sufficient to power nearly 2 million homes in New York.
The agreement for the project was co-signed by Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT) and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
“With the support of NYCEDC, SSBMT and our partners in the community, Equinor and bp are ready and eager to invest in the revitalization of SBMT, an historic port that will soon become a major part of New York’s energy future. 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 the agreement builds on the City’s $57M commitment to reactivate the SBMT and make New York a leader in climate resiliency and air quality through clean energy investments. The east coast offshore wind projects will accelerate Equinor’s ambition to install 12 to 16 GW capacity of renewables by 2030.
The proposed Empire Wind farm on New York’s outer continental shelf some 14 miles offshore from Long Island. Equinor and bp are developers and also partnering with companies such as Aker Solutions on phases of the project.
Both companies also are partnering on the Beacon Wind planned farm off the New England Coast. bp is primary owner while Equinor will be operator on the Beacon farm, according to reports.
SBMT will be one of the largest dedicated offshore wind port facilities in the country.
