The world is on edge because of this project

Renewable energy sources are growing at record rates across America, from the East Coast to the West, and even domestic auto consumption has increased. However, we still have one more milestone to achieve, and it’s getting closer: the project to transform New York City into the largest energy generator humanity has ever known. Will the city of lights now become the city of power? Don’t make it sound so unbelievable.

New York to be transformed into world’s largest energy generator: world on edge

Empire Wind is an offshore wind farm project in which Equinor Company, a Norwegian oil and energy company, is developing a large-scale deployment of renewable energy in the Atlantic waters of New York State. Sustainable electricity production, as intended by the project, is 2,000 MW, or 1 gigawatt (GW) of clean energy.

According to official sources, this will provide electricity to over one million homes in Minnesota. This section will present the potential users of the project, the progress of the project, the scope and the results of the project in the case of the New York energy environment.

The Empire Wind project is divided into two phases:

• Empire Wind 1 (EW1)with a capacity of 816 MW.
• Empire Wind 2 (EW2)with a capacity of 1.26 GW.

As you can see, this gives a total output of 2.1 GW. The project will be located approximately 15-24 miles southeast of Long Island and will cover approximately 80,000 acres. Can you imagine a city of skyscrapers with seas full of wind generators? A landscape full of contrasts is hard to forget.

Seven years to develop a project that will last for decades: the target is 2027.

It all started in 2017, when Equinor entered into a commercial lease agreement for the project. Its construction also received approval from the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) in December 2023. The project is scheduled to reach first power in 2026 and full commercial capacity in 2027.

The Empire Wind project generation plan will consist of: 138 Vestas V236-15MW types. The body is nine meters wide and the top is another 270 meters high. The wind turbines that will be installed are located on land, and the turbines will be placed on monopile foundations and will connect two offshore substations.

So far, the project has received the support of the majority of the population, although there are always environmental groups that condemn the use of marine ecosystems to install power generators. Of course, they will have to be installed somewhere (always with the protection of fauna).

It’s not about 2024, but about what will happen in the future: this is how New York will be transformed

The Empire Wind project is expected to create several hundred construction jobs and additional private investment in economic development. It will also help New York achieve its goal of design 9,000 MW of offshore wind energy by 2035, as set out in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act).

The OREC purchase and sale agreement is expected to be signed with NYSERDA in the second quarter of 2024, after which the project will move to the final stage of investment decision, which is expected in mid-2024. The company intends to achieve investment returns of 12%-16% for its nominal equity capital in the US East Coast Offshore Wind Project.

A city like New Yorknormally dominated by skyscrapers, will now see its landscape awash with wind turbines of historic size and number. In fact, Empire Wind has already sparked optimism from investors, companies and other sustainability stakeholders who see a unique opportunity to generate electricity for a city that never sleeps and therefore always uses it (and in disproportionate amounts).