Construction and development firm Skanska has been awarded the USD861 million contract to develop the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) into a dedicated offshore wind port.
Upon completion, the 73-acre (29.5-ha) site will support the Empire Wind offshore wind farm, which is being developed by Equinor approximately 15 to 30 miles (24 to 48 km) off New York, as well as the Beacon Wind project.
SBMT will facilitate the reception, storage and pre-assembly of critical offshore wind turbine components and will serve as the operational and maintenance hub. It has been designed to be a “central, scalable hub for the expanding East Coast offshore wind market, including as a port for future offshore wind developments”.
The extensive project scope includes the demolition of existing buildings, ground improvements to support the staging of the wind turbine components, installation of underground utilities, and upgrades to site lighting, security, and safety systems, and the installation of two new heavy-lift crane pads.
The work will also include significant waterfront and marine upgrades, including dredging of new and existing berths, bulkhead upgrades, and installation of new wharf and dock facilities. A new 85,000 sq ft (7,897 sq m) operations and maintenance building with warehouse, office, and parking facilities will also be constructed to support the construction and ongoing operations and maintenance of the Empire Wind 1 project. Construction is expected to begin in 2024.
The Empire Wind project is lined up for development in two stages; Empire Wind 1 (816 MW) is scheduled to come online in 2026, and Empire Wind 2 (1,260 MW) in 2027. Vestas will supply its V236-15.0 MW turbines for the first stage of the development.
In January 2024, Equinor entered into a swap transaction with bp, under which Equinor took ownership of the Empire Wind lease in return for its stake in the Beacon Wind project.
