Offshore wind turbine maker will deliver its giant 15MW wind turbines for Equinor and BP joint venture's offshore wind farms in New York.
Vestas said Monday that, Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP, had named it as the preferred turbine supplier for the 2.1 GW Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2 offshore wind projects in New York, USA.
"This is one of the largest preferred supplier agreements to be announced in the USA," Vestas said.
Vestas will provide 138 V236-15.0 MW turbines for Empire Wind 1 and 2, located 15-30 miles off the coast of Long Island. According to Equinor, each rotation of a 15MW turbine will be capable of powering a New York home for about 1.5 days.
Laura Beane, President of Vestas North America said: "We are honored to partner with Equinor and BP as preferred supplier for the Empire wind projects and provide our V236-15.0 MW turbine to help New York achieve its ambitious offshore wind energy goals. To be part of a landmark project like Empire Wind 1 and 2 is a testament to the hard work of Vestas colleagues across the world dedicated to developing offshore technology capable of delivering, reliable, resilient, and sustainable wind energy to communities around the world."
The tower sections for Empire Wind 1 and 2 are planned to be sourced from the Marmen/Welcon plant, which is being developed in Port of Albany. For staging of turbine components, Vestas will utilize the upgraded port at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, developing a local, New York-based, supply chain to provide a comprehensive set of services in the staging, pre-assembly and installation activities, Vestas said.
Vestas also said it planned to establish a New York-based service organization providing high-quality, local employment opportunities, to service the wind farms, once online.
"If and when the agreement with Empire wind materializes in a firm order for Vestas, Vestas will disclose the order in a company announcement in accordance with the company’s disclosure policy," Vestas said.
The preferred supplier announcement comes just days after Vestas said it would install a prototype of its giant 15 MW offshore wind turbine at the Østerild National test center for large wind turbines in Western Jutland, Denmark.
Vestas will install the prototype at the test center in the second half of 2022. The turbine's first kWh is planned for the fourth quarter of that year.
"Stretching 280m into the air with a production output of 80 GWh/year, the prototype will be the tallest and most powerful wind turbine in the world once installed," Vestas said last week.
Commenting on the agreement with Vestas, Arne Sigve Nylund, executive vice president for Projects, Drilling & Procurement in Equinor said:"We are delighted to select our preferred supplier for what will be the largest contract in the Empire Wind project. The turbines have the highest rated capacity available in the market today, which is a great fit for the high ambitions we have in this project. We have chosen the technology which will provide the best value for Empire Wind from the world’s largest turbine manufacturer. This is state-of-the-art technology moving the boundaries of wind energy production,” says
The selection of a preferred turbine supplier for New York State’s Empire Wind I and Empire Wind II offshore wind projects is providing a clear signal that the advancement of New York’s nation-leading 9 gigawatts goal of offshore wind by 2035 is on pace to deliver clean energy for New Yorkers,” said Doreen M. Harris, president and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)."Through the utilization of New York’s various ports, these types of partnerships will tap into local companies and manufacturing to further establish New York as the hub for the nation’s offshore wind industry.”
Vestas has recently explained how the 15MW offshore wind turbine can strengthen a wind farm project's business case.
According to the Danish firm, the 15MW offshore turbine offers 65 percent higher annual energy production than its V174-9.5 MW, and for a 900 MW wind farm, it increases production by five percent with 34 fewer turbines.
"It offers excellent partial-load production, resulting in a more stable energy production, and a capacity factor over 60 percent depending on site-specific conditions," Vestas said.
Back in February 2021, Vestas first announced it would launch the giant wind turbine. It has since also secured a pre-selected tenderer status for the V236-15.0 MW turbine in July 2021 for EnBW’s 900 MW He Dreiht project in Germany.