New York City Mayor Eric Adams 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.
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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 Corporation (NYCEDC), Equinor, its partner — bp — and Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, L.P. (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.
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,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
“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 Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer.
“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.”
“Economic, racial, and gender equity is what informs and drives our work every day,” said Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises Magalie Desroches Austin.
“We’re excited to support and collaborate with our partners at the NYCEDC and at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal on this highly important initiative.
"Not only is this a capital investment in New York City’s offshore wind energy, its accompanying infrastructure, and the emerging work force critical to the long-term sustainability of the greatest city on earth, but it also helps to meaningfully and positively move the needle on the mayor’s commitment to Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises and the diverse workforce they employ.
"We look forward to the many long-term benefits this investment will have on New York City’s environmental footprint, its labor force, and the myriad of M/WBEs that make New York City unique.”
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.
A series of atmospheric rivers are forecast to produce heavy rainfall in the Pacific Northwest into the upcoming week while heavy snow continues in the Northern Rockies through Sunday.