New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday announced the finalisation of contracts between the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Empire Wind Offshore LLC and Beacon Wind LLC, each a 50-50 partnership between Equinor and BP, for the Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind offshore wind projects.
The announcement formally closes NY State’s second offshore wind competitive solicitation.
The 1,260 MW Empire Wind 2 and 1,230 MW Beacon Wind projects were provisionally awarded in January 2021 and are expected to enter into commercial operation in 2027 and 2028, respectively.
The project contracts include commitments to public and private funding commitments of $644m for port infrastructure, including $357m for a wind tower manufacturing facility to be built at the Port of Albany and more than $287m for an offshore wind staging and assembly facility at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
