The U.S. Division of the Inside has introduced its approval for the Empire Wind offshore wind mission, marking the sixth commercial-scale offshore wind vitality mission to obtain federal approval.
Empire Wind US LLC, a three way partnership between Equinor and BP, plans to develop two offshore wind farms generally known as Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2. Located roughly 12 nautical miles south of Lengthy Island, New York, and 16.9 nautical miles east of Lengthy Department, New Jersey, these tasks will comprise a complete of as much as 147 wind generators with a mixed capability of practically 2.1 gigawatts.
The Bureau of Ocean Power Administration (BOEM) estimates that this clear, renewable vitality may energy over 700,000 houses yearly. Throughout the development part, the tasks are anticipated to create over 830 jobs every year, with roughly 300 jobs yearly throughout the operations part.
Equinor signed the industrial lease for the federal offshore wind space in March 2017, following a profitable public sale held by BOEM in December 2016. The primary energy from the Empire Wind mission is anticipated to be delivered within the mid-2020s.
Empire Wind LLC was considered one of 4 offshore wind mission builders to be denied a petition to amend to gross sales and buy agreements with New York State to boost the charges for shoppers due current inflationary pressures impacting mission economics.
The approval additionally comes as New York marks the primary offshore wind turbine set up for the South Fork Wind mission off Montauk, N.Y. The mission is ready to turn into the primary accomplished utility-scale wind farm in america.
“BOEM and our companions have already achieved a lot in pursuit of the Administration’s purpose of reaching 30 gigawatts of offshore wind vitality capability by 2030,” mentioned BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “Intensive engagement with Tribes, different authorities companions, ocean customers, involved residents, and extra has helped us to keep away from or cut back person conflicts whereas facilitating the accountable improvement of offshore wind tasks. We sit up for persevering with our work with them as we transfer this business ahead.”
Beneath the Biden Administration, the Division of the Inside has permitted the nation’s first six commercial-scale offshore wind vitality tasks.
BOEM has additionally held 4 offshore wind lease auctions, producing practically $5.5 billion in excessive bids. Notably, a record-breaking sale happened offshore New York and New Jersey, and the first-ever gross sales occurred offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts. The Division continues to discover extra alternatives for offshore wind vitality improvement in numerous areas, together with the Gulf of Maine, offshore Oregon, and the U.S. Central Atlantic coast.
The Report of Determination contains measures geared toward avoiding, minimizing, and mitigating the potential impacts arising from the mission’s development and operation. Empire Wind, LLC has dedicated to establishing fishery mitigation funds to compensate industrial and for-hire leisure fishers for any losses immediately ensuing from the mission.
