The US Department of the Interior (DoI) has approved the 2.07GW Empire Wind offshore project proposed to be built off the coast of New York State by energy majors Equinor and BP.
As per an estimated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the American offshore wind project will generate clean energy to power over 700,000 households every year.
The project comprises two offshore wind facilities, namely Empire Wind I and Empire Wind II. Put together, the wind farms will have up to 147 turbines to be delivered by Vestas.
The Empire Wind I facility is projected to generate 816MW of power, while Empire Wind II is designed to have a project capacity of 1.26GW.
Besides, the offshore wind farms will support more than 830 jobs every year during the construction stage and approximately 300 jobs annually during their operations.
Equinor renewables Americas president Molly Morris said: “The federal Record of Decision is a significant milestone in advancing Equinor and bp’s Empire Wind project to help deliver on state and federal climate ambitions.
“Empire Wind is a defining project for New York and we continue our work to connect with communities and realise the project’s potential of providing reliable renewable power, creating jobs and spurring economic development.”
The approval for the Empire Wind offshore project marks the DoI’s sixth approval of a commercial-scale offshore wind energy project under US President Joe Biden.
According to the DoI, Empire Wind will contribute towards the US government’s goal of installing 30GW of offshore wind energy capacity by the end of this decade.
US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said: “Today’s approval of the sixth offshore wind project adds to the significant progress towards our Administration’s clean energy goals.
“Together with the labour community, industry, Tribes, and partners from coast to coast, we will continue to expand clean energy development in a manner that will benefit communities, strengthen our nation’s energy security, and address climate change.”
Earlier this year, DEME Offshore US secured the contract for the transportation and installation of inter-array cables for the Empire Wind offshore project.
