Norway's Equinor and UK's BP on Thursday jointly bid into New York’s third offshore wind solicitation (NY3).
The bid was submitted to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in response to the state’s most recent offshore wind energy solicitation.
Equinor said the bid would provide New York with renewable energy from the Beacon Wind 2 lease area located approximately 60 miles off the eastern tip of Long Island.
"Capable of producing 1,360 megawatts of offshore wind energy, Beacon Wind 2 has the potential to power approximately one million New York homes, generate more than $11 billion in new economic activity in the state over the project lifecycle, and create thousands of jobs," Equinor said.
Astoria Gateway for Renewable Energy
Equinor further said that the power from Beacon Wind 2 would complement the 3.3 GW of potential offshore wind generating capacity for New York State currently under development by Equinor and BP with the Empire Wind 1 and 2 and Beacon Wind 1 projects.
"As one of the most mature projects offered for NY3, Beacon Wind 2 is well on track to help New York realize its ambition to generate at least 70% of the state’s electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030," Equinor said.
Beacon Wind recently purchased the site of the Astoria Gas Turbines, with the potential to bring offshore wind from Beacon Wind 1 and Beacon Wind 2 directly to New York City, transforming the site into The Astoria Gateway for Renewable Energy.
Equinor said that its and BP's joint proposal included new manufacturing plants capable of creating "game-changing" renewable energy career opportunities in the Capital Region, establishing a new vision for the creation of a manufacturing hub in the Region. The proposal includes a facility to produce cable components for offshore wind projects locally and worldwide.
Additionally, working with offshore wind turbine manufacturers, Equinor and BP propose to support the establishment of "state-of-the-art" facilities to manufacture wind turbine components, such as blades and nacelles, in New York State.
Funds for NGOs, Colleges, Training, Minorities
Equinor and BP’s proposal includes investing $50 million in pioneering a regional collaborative of community organizations, NGOs, community and state colleges and training facilities to help workers gain the skills and support needed, to participate in, and benefit from, New York’s growing offshore wind industry, Equinor said in a statement,
Funds would be dedicated to providing awareness, mentorship and coaching, and accessibility and job opportunities in historically marginalized communities – including industry workforce training programs, minority/women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) capacity building programs, and programs at educational institutions statewide, the companies said.
1,000 ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charge points
“The companies’ proposal further deepens their commitment to boosting New York’s port infrastructure and sustaining hundreds of long-term jobs and substantial economic activity," Equinor said.
Further, the bid is said to include options to accelerate New York’s renewable energy transition with energy storage to help curtail emissions, support grid resilience, as well as the potential for BP pulse, BP’s global electrification business, to install up to 1,000 ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charge points in New York State by 2030.
If accepted, the companies said the proposal would bring Equinor and BP’s total community benefit and environmental monitoring commitments in New York to over $150 million, which includes approximately $90 million in investments in community benefits, workforce development, and environmental initiatives already underway as part of the Empire 1 and 2, and Beacon 1 projects.
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