Heerema Tapped for U.S. East Coast Wind Projects

Dutch crane vessel specialist Heerema Marine Contractors has been selected for the installation of wind turbine foundations and offshore substations for the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind offshore wind projects in the United States.

The company has been selected as a strategic supplier by Equinor, representing the 50-50 partnership between Equinor and BP which is developing the projects.

The companies plan to enter into a Strategic Supplier Agreement for the transportation and installation services of wind farm foundations and offshore substations for the projects. The agreement is expected to cover a firm period of seven years.

“Throughout this period, Equinor, bp as 50% joint venture partner, and Heerema will collaborate as exclusive partners in the preparation and Jones Act compliant execution of the projects,” Heerema said in a statement.

“The award of this unique agreement is yet another chapter in a long history of working together globally with both Equinor and bp on often challenging offshore installation projects,” said Heerema’s CEO Koos-Jan van Brouwershave. “We are proud to be selected to join Equinor and bp once again in a frontier market and region. The future of offshore wind relies on strong forward-looking partnerships that recognize the need to secure transport and installation capacity.”

Equinor and BP finalized the Purchase and Sale Agreements (PSAs) with New York State for the Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1 offshore wind projects in January after being selected in 2021 to develop projects in one of the largest renewable energy procurements in U.S. history.

Combined with the partnership’s Empire Wind 1 project, the projects will provide a total a 3.3 gigawatts of renewable power to the state, enough to produce electricity for about 2 million New York homes. Included in the PSA is an agreement to develop the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a major staging and assembly facility for the offshore wind industry, as well as an operations and maintenance base for the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects.

“We are very pleased to have developed a contractual framework together with Equinor that enables true partnership,” said Heerema’s Director Wind, Jeroen van Oosten. “Together we have established a basis of mutual trust and transparency as core values, and I am excited to see the benefits of this innovative agreement materialize for both our client and Heerema.”