Equinor Submits New York Offshore Wind Bid

Equinor Wind US has submitted a bid to provide New York state with renewable energy from its Empire Wind lease site located offshore New York and New Jersey.

Equinor’s bid comes in response to the 800MW New York State Offshore Wind Power Procurement, the state’s first formal solicitation targeted to the newly developing US offshore wind industry. The state is expected to announce the results of the tender in spring, Equinor said.

The company secured the 80,000-acre lease in a federal auction in December 2016. The site is located between 14 and 35 miles south of Long Island in the New York Bight, with a potential capacity of up to 2GW of renewable power.

“Submitting this offer to provide New York with a steady supply of offshore wind is both a major step forward in the development process of the Empire Wind project and an important milestone for New York’s transition to renewable energy,” said Christer af Geijerstam, President of Equinor Wind US.

”Our project can make a major contribution toward fulfilling New York’s robust renewable energy goals, and the emissions reductions and economic impacts of our bid provide a clear benefit to New Yorkers. We look forward to working with the state as we turn that potential into a tangible asset that the people of New York can rely on for energy well into the future.” 

Equinor in the US Offshore Wind

Equinor has already started work to bring offshore wind to the New York area, gathering information about the seabed conditions, grid connection options, and wind resources throughout the site for nearly two years. The company recently deployed a Floating LiDAR to measure wind speed, wind direction, wave conditions and other factors that inform the resource potential and eventual development of the wind farm.

The company is also developing a separate project in the lease area called Boardwalk Wind geared to New Jersey, and submitted a bid in response to that state’s offshore wind solicitation in December 2018. That same month, Equinor acquired a second lease area in the US east coast wind market, a 128,000-acre site offshore Massachusetts. In total, Equinor’s US offshore wind portfolio now has the potential to power more than two million homes with renewable power, the Norwegian energy giant said.

“We firmly believe in the long-term potential for offshore wind as a major local source of renewable, reliable and cost-effective energy in the region. The US northeast is a key component of our growing commitment to develop offshore wind resources around the globe,” said Pål Eitrheim, Equinor’s Executive Vice President for New Energy Solutions.