Turbine Supplier Picked for Major Offshore Wind Projects Off New York State

The developer of one of the largest offshore wind projects in the United States has selected its preferred supplier for more than 135 massive offshore wind turbines destined for waters off the coast of New York.

Empire Offshore Wind is a joint venture between Equinor and bp. The company announced Monday it has selected Vestas as its preferred supplier for wind turbine generators for both its Empire Wind I and Empire Wind II projects, to be located in federal waters about 20 miles south of Long Island. The preferred supplier agreement is one of the largest of its kind to be announced in the U.S. and an important step towards delivering renewable offshore wind energy at scale to the state of New York, Equinor said.

Under the agreement, Vestas will deliver 138 15 megawatt (MW) wind turbine generators with a total generating capacity of around 2 gigawatts between the two Empire Wind developments. Each rotation of a single turbine will be capable of powering a New York home for about 1.5 days.

“We are delighted to select our preferred supplier for what will be the largest contract in the Empire Wind project. The turbines have the highest rated capacity available in the market today, which is a great fit for the high ambitions we have in this project. We have chosen the technology which will provide the best value for Empire Wind from the world’s largest turbine manufacturer. This is state of the art technology moving the boundaries of wind energy production,” says Arne Sigve Nylund, executive vice president for Projects, Drilling & Procurement in Equinor.

Empire Wind is also planning a offshore wind tower manufacturing plant in upstate New York, part of “robust” offshore wind supply chain. The tower sections for Empire Wind will be manufactured at Marmen and Welcon’s new plant in Port of Albany and will be supplied by Vestas. The tower manufacturing plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2023, creating up to 350 direct local jobs.

The plan is for towers to be transported down the Hudson River to the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT), where staging of the turbine components will take place before they are transported offshore to the Empire Wind lease area.

“The selection of a preferred turbine supplier for New York State’s Empire Wind I and Empire Wind II offshore wind projects is providing a clear signal that the advancement of New York’s nation-leading 9 gigawatts goal of offshore wind by 2035 is on pace to deliver clean energy for New Yorkers,” said Doreen M. Harris, president and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which selected Equinor and bp as the developers of the projects back in January.

“Through the utilization of New York’s various ports, these types of partnerships will tap into local companies and manufacturing to further establish New York as the hub for the nation’s offshore wind industry,” added Harris.

“Empire Wind is a flagship offshore wind development, shaping the future of this industry. Today’s announcement brings us one step further, as we work together with our partner bp, the State of New York and NYSERDA, and all stakeholders to develop Empire Wind, which will play an important role in producing renewable electricity to deliver on critical climate ambitions for the state, the nation and Equinor’s target of reaching net zero by 2050,” says Siri Espedal Kindem, president of Equinor Wind US.

US-based offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind has placed an order for sixty-two 13MW wind turbines from GE Renewables for its Vineyard Wind 1 project off the coast of Massachusetts.

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