US opens review of Equinor-BP's multi-gigawatt Beacon Wind giant off New York
Developer duo already has some 3.3GW on contract to state, with federal environmental impact statement covering additional acreage bid into round 3
The federal government will begin the environmental review process for Equinor-BP’s massive, 2.4GW, 155-turbine Beacon Wind project slated for the state of New York, the lead regulator of energy development in US waters announced.
“BOEM is advancing the [Biden] administration’s ambitious energy goals while remaining diligent in our efforts to avoid, minimise, and mitigate impacts to ocean users and the marine environment,” said BOEM director Elizabeth Klein.
“As part of our environmental review process, we seek input from Tribes, our government partners, the fishing community, and other ocean users to inform our next steps.”
The oil-heavy Equinor-BP joint venture (JV) is New York’s largest offshore wind developer, with some 3.3GW of capacity of the total 4.3GW under state contract. The remainder is being developed by the Orsted-Eversource JV backing the South Fork and Sunrise projects.
The construction and operations plan (COP) submitted by the partners covers both projects, potentially giving it a leg up on the competition in the round that will see as much as 4.7GW awarded.
The environmental impact statement (EIS) process involves multiple federal agencies and can take years to complete, even as New York is rushing to build out 9GW of capacity by 2035. Beginning the EIS process now can potentially shave years off overall project timelines.
“The NOI marks a significant milestone in Beacon Wind’s path towards regulatory approval,” said Molly Morris, Equinor’s renewables CEO in the Americas. Equinor is the lead partner developing the projects.
A further award would give the JV over 4GW of capacity, nearly half of the state goal, however.
Projects spark capex
Danish shipping giant Maersk has been contracted for the installation of both the Empire and Beacon projects, and has commissioned Singaporean shipbuilder Sembcorp Marine to construct a new, innovative wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) for the projects.
The Denmark-flagged WTIV will be customised for the feeder barge solution being deployed for the US sector in compliance with the Jones Act.
The Jones Act prohibits foreign-flagged vessels from calling in at consecutive US ports or points, including an offshore wind turbine. As the US currently lacks any US-flagged WTIV and with only one, the Charybdis, under construction in Brownsville, Texas, most projects will rely on a domestic barges to feed components to a foreign-flagged WTIV that would remain at the installation site.
The developers are likewise backing tower manufacturing facility at the upstate New York Port of Coeymans some 140km north of New York City.
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