Brooklyn terminal to become key offshore wind hub

(NEW YORK) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced an agreement that will transform the city-owned South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) into one of the largest offshore wind port facilities in the nation. The agreement will help establish New York as a leader in offshore wind and help the New York City meet its nation-leading climate goals of 100 percent clean electricity by 2040.

As part of the deal finalized by the New York City Economic Development Corp. (NYCEDC), Equinor, its partner BP, and Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT) will upgrade and build out the terminal as an operations and maintenance base. The terminal will become a power interconnection site for the Empire Wind 1 project , and heavy lift platforms will be built on the 39th Street Pier for wind turbine staging and installation for Equinor and other developers. The port will serve as a hub to support the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind offshore wind farms.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, left, with wind power supporters at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. City of New York photo

NYCEDC also partnered with Equinor and the community to support workforce training for a diverse pool of local residents to bolster opportunities for New Yorkers created by investments in offshore wind infrastructure. The agreement expands the target of minority- and women-owned business enterprise (M/WBE) contractors based in and registered with New York City or New York state, with a 30 percent M/WBE participation goal; and will support technical assistance for M/WBE and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises to create more opportunities for participation in this sustainable growth industry. Additionally, the agreement ensures the development will be a low-emissions facility.

“With this investment, the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal will soon be transformed into one of the largest offshore wind port facilities in the nation,” Adams said Thursday. “This site will be the launch of a whole new industry for New York City that will support 13,000 local jobs over time, generate $1.3 billion in average annual investment citywide, and significantly reduce our carbon footprint so that we can meet our climate goals of 100 percent clean electricity by 2040. This is a transformative moment for New York City and our clean energy future — a future of sustainable power, good-paying jobs, and climate justice.”

“This first major milestone in New York City’s Offshore Wind Vision Plan is a perfect example of how our economic and workforce development objectives must go hand in hand with our clean energy goals. By building this new industry in the right way, we will continue to advance an equitable recovery and make our environment healthier as well,” said Maria Torres-Springer, deputy mayor for economic and workforce development. “We thank NYCEDC and our partners at Equinor, BP and SSBMT for coming together to transform the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a major offshore wind hub and make New York City a leading destination for this important and growing industry.”

Equinor also committed to establishing a $5 million ecosystem fund to bring more New York City residents into offshore wind careers, propel offshore wind innovation, and support a just transition. Finally, Equinor is working to establish an offshore wind learning center — accessible to the community — within its Brooklyn office.

The announcement is critical to the offshore wind priorities and investments of both New York City and New York state. The city has committed $191 million to offshore wind projects — including $57 million in support of SBMT and $134 million in new investments. The city expects these initiatives to remove more than 34 million tons of CO2 from the environment — the equivalent of removing nearly 500,000 cars from roadways for 15 years — while creating 13,000 jobs related to offshore wind infrastructure across the five boroughs. SBMT will be essential to the state’s offshore wind supply chain. Currently, five offshore wind projects are in active development, which will power more than 2.4 million New York homes and bring a combined economic impact of $12.1 billion to the state.

In 2018, NYCEDC selected SSBMT — in a partnership between Industry City and Red Hook Terminals — as the leaseholder to reactivate the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal so that it can create a 21st-century maritime shipping hub with an on-site facility to train local talent. Under this agreement, SSBMT is entering into a sublease with Equinor and BP until 2054 for its operations and maintenance base, and its onshore substation. Under the same agreement, Equinor and BP will have a 10-year term for turbine staging and installation activities with an option to extend the 10-year term for up to six additional years.

“(This) agreement sets the stage for us to deliver on our shared clean energy goals right here on the industrial waterfront,” said U.S. Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez. “Years of advocacy has brought us here. I am pleased a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration will help with much-needed infrastructure improvements to create a regional hub of offshore wind production and logistics right here at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. This significant investment from federal to local partners is a win for environmental justice as we retool our economy for green energy, while adding real manufacturing jobs right here in Brooklyn. With all levels of government, industry and the community working together, the future can be bright.”

 – City of New York

 

 

 

By Rich Miller