Wind

Equinor firms first US offshore wind turbine order for Vestas

Norwegian oil & gas giant earlier this year had already closed preferred supplier deal with Danish OEM for 810MW Empire Wind 1 project

Josh Irwin, senior vice president of offshore sales at Vestas North America.
Josh Irwin, senior vice president of offshore sales at Vestas North America.Photo: NHST
European Editor, Recharge

Norwegian oil & gas giant Equinor has turned a preferred supplier deal for Vestas for its 810MW Empire Wind 1 project off the US East Coast into a firm order.

The Danish wind turbine manufacturer is slated to supply 54 of its V236-15.0MW machines to the project off New York, with turbine delivery expected to begin in 2026 and scheduled for completion in 2027.

Vestas in March had announced that it had been lined up as turbine supplier for Empire Wind 1, after Equinor had re-bid and won the first tranche of the project in New York’s fourth offshore round solicitation. The oil company previously had reassessed its original offtake contracts for Empire 1 and its 1.2GW second phase Empire 2, which were no longer viable amid surging component price inflation and financing costs.

“Offshore wind is set to play a pivotal role in expanding America’s energy landscape, and with today’s announcement, we are moving closer to building out a robust US offshore market,” said Josh Irwin, senior vice president of offshore sales at Vestas North America.

“This is a significant moment for New York and the US offshore industry, and we’re excited to deliver a proven, reliable product to help New York achieve its ambitious offshore wind energy goals and provide resilient wind energy to its communities.”

The order includes supply, delivery and commissioning of the turbines, as well as a five-year service agreement.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (Nyserda) was relieved that the order was confirmed.

“Nyserda applauds Vestas for its clean energy vision, and for its commitment to supporting the offshore wind industry in New York State,” Nyserda CEO Doreen M. Harris said.

“This agreement marks yet another key milestone in the development of the Empire Wind 1 project and delivering on our shared promise to provide clean, renewable energy to New Yorkers for generations to come.”

The Empire Wind 1 project also includes the transformation of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) in Sunset Park, New York, which is set to become one of the US’s largest dedicated port facilities for offshore wind, Vestas said.

The OEM added the SBMT will provide the infrastructure to deploy the V236-15.0 MW offshore wind turbines, including the staging and pre-assembly activities such as load-in, load-out, and transportation of wind turbine components, tools and containers before progressing towards offshore wind turbine installation and commissioning.

"We are fully committed to building a sustainable supply chain that’s tailor-made for the US offshore market, and the expansion of SBMT is a game-changer for Empire Wind 1 and beyond,” said Amy McGinty, vice president of customer project execution at Vestas North America.

Vestas is also in the frame for Shell-EDF's 1.5GW Atlantic Shores array to New Jersey with a preferred supplier agreement. Atlantic Shores is the lone project to survive New Jersey's first two procurement rounds following the collapse of Orsted's 2.25GW Ocean Wind 1 & 2 last year.
Invenergy's mammoth 2.4GW Leading Light array also to New Jersey recently called for a pause in development while it sorts out its turbine supplier. The project is without a turbine after GE Vernova discontinued its 18MW Haliade-X and Siemens Gamesa hiked prices.

Invenergy had already disqualified Vestas as supplier due to technical and pricing considerations, the developer noted in a filing to the state.

Vestas so far has secured more than 13GW of firm orders and preferred supplier agreements globally since the launch of its 15MW offshore machine.

(Copyright)

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Published 9 September 2024, 13:46Updated 9 September 2024, 15:48
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