Port of Coeymans offshore wind upgrade moving through New York’s system

Carver Companies (P&M Brick), the owner of the Port of Coeymans deep water inland marine terminal, has filed an application with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for an environmental permit for the upgrade of the port infrastructure to support offshore wind projects.

The Port of Coeymans Offshore Wind Infrastructure (POWI) Project proposes upgrades that consist of establishing a new dock, site grading to provide manufacturing space and lay down area, and other buildings to service the unique needs associated with manufacturing, assembly, and shipping of heavy offshore wind components.

According to the project developer, achieving the offshore wind target that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo set in 2019 will require thoughtful planning, design, and construction of highly capable, modern, and dedicated port facilities.

“Developing the Port of Coeymans would provide an enormous benefit to the offshore wind industry by delivering a dedicated port facility, which will be critical for the supply chain while creating new and local jobs in the Upstate New York area”, a project description document states.

The Port of Coeymans is one of the eleven ports marked as eligible to pair up with offshore wind developers to deliver New York’s offshore wind targets.

New York’s latest solicitation, which resulted in Equinor and BP winning the 2.5 GW tender to build offshore wind farms, also included a multi-port strategy and requirement for offshore wind generators to partner with any of the eleven prequalified New York ports to stage, construct, manufacture key components, or coordinate operations and maintenance activities.

The proposals for the two offshore wind farms by Equinor and BP, the 1,260 megawatt Empire Wind 2 Project and 1,230 megawatt Beacon Wind, comprised plans for manufacturing offshore wind components upstate at the Port of Albany and the Port of Coeymans. The proposals also included making South Brooklyn Marine Terminal the hub for construction activities and an operations and maintenance (O&M) base.

The state had already executed a contract with Equinor for the 816 MW Empire Wind 1, awarded at New York’s first offshore wind solicitation, for which the developer plans to use gravity-based foundations produced at the Port of Coeymans.