Mayor Adams, Governor Hochul, NYCEDC, Equinor, SSBMT announce start of construction to transform South Brooklyn Marine Terminal Into nation's largest offshore wind port.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President and CEO Andrew Kimball, Equinor Wind US President Molly Morris, and the Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, L.P. (SSBMT) announced the start of construction of what will be the nation’s largest dedicated offshore wind port at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
The project will accelerate the clean energy transition, make New York City synonymous with offshore wind, advance progress toward the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) goal to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035, and create a new industry with thousands of ‘green-collar’ jobs on site and in the supply chain. SBMT — a historic home for New York City’s working waterfront — is a 73-acre site that will serve as a cutting-edge facility for offshore wind operations.
It will also serve as the operations and maintenance hub for Empire Wind 1, a large offshore wind project, the first phase of which will deliver 810 megawatts of renewable energy to New York — enough to power 500,000 homes.
Additionally, SBMT will host an onshore substation to connect electricity from the offshore wind turbines into New York City’s' electricity grid at the Gowanus Substation in Brooklyn.
SBMT will also be a low-emissions facility with solar power and electric vehicle charging stations onsite. The port will provide onshore power and charging for the Empire Wind Service Operations Vessel, the first plug-in hybrid vessel for the U.S. offshore wind industry. 
Construction on the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
 
“Today [June 10], we are powering up New York’s clean energy economy and creating more than 1,000 union jobs for working-class New Yorkers as we break ground on the largest dedicated offshore wind port in the nation at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal,†said Mayor Adams.
“In addition to creating jobs and economic growth, this offshore wind project will significantly reduce our carbon footprint and ensure our city meets our climate goals of 100-percent clean electricity by 2040 and carbon neutrality by 2050. 
"Together with our recent acquisition of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal in nearby Red Hook, we are well on our way to reimagining Brooklyn’s working waterfront for the 21st century, powered by the green economy and through our ‘Green Economy Action Plan’ that will help create jobs and opportunity for generations to come.â€
In September 2021, the city and NYCEDC unveiled a 15-year, $191 million Offshore Wind Vision Plan to make New York a leading destination for the industry.
To deliver on that vision, early in his administration, in March 2022, Mayor Adams announced the agreement between NYCEDC, Equinor, and SSBMT.
As part of that deal, SBMT will be upgraded and the terminal will be built out as Empire Wind 1’s long-term operations and maintenance base, which will include a control room that measures turbine data and monitors the project around-the-clock. Empire Wind 1 will be the first offshore wind farm to connect directly to New York City’s power grid.
Over the last year, tremendous progress has been made to establish New York City as the nation’s primary offshore wind hub.
The offshore wind industry in New York City will create up to 13,000 jobs by 2035. SBMT alone will create more than 1,000 union jobs during the construction phase, 200 assembly jobs, and 50 permanent positions.
Last week, NYSERDA and Equinor finalized a new contract for Empire Wind 1 that provides a range of economic benefits to support economic development in New York City and across the state. Investments include increased funding for workforce and community development, with significant investments already underway in Sunset Park’s new Offshore Wind Learning Center, as well as in the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub and the Offshore Wind Ecosystem Fund. ■