Equinor and bp bid for third New York offshore wind solicitation
Significant new investments and innovative opportunities envisioned for state
Equinor and bp today jointly bid into New York’s third offshore wind solicitation (NY3), building on their strong commitment to deliver renewable energy for New Yorkers, create sustainable jobs, boost the economy across the state, and support a just transition to renewable energy.
Equinor and bp’s bid, submitted to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in response to the state’s most recent offshore wind energy solicitation, 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. Power from Beacon Wind 2 would complement the 3.3 GWs 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.
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, giving Queens a leading role in the state’s energy transition.
Equinor and bp’s proposal includes 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 both locally and around the world. 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. These significant new manufacturing and supply chain initiatives build on the companies’ current investments in New York’s supply chain, solidifying the state’s leadership position in developing a homegrown offshore wind industry.
“Equinor and bp are eager to build on the significant experience gained through our work in New York over the past five years to bring more offshore wind energy to the state,” said Molly Morris, President, Equinor Wind US. “The commitments and opportunities that we have outlined in this bid are informed by our team’s ongoing efforts to develop offshore wind for the state. Our deep understanding of the workers, communities and economic opportunities related to this new industry allows us to invest in New York where it matters most. There is a tremendous opportunity here to harness the project maturity, efficiencies, and knowledge related to our current work, and we welcome the chance to deepen our work with New York to bring these exciting new initiatives to bear and help the state reach the next level of its renewable energy goals.”
bp senior vice president offshore wind Matthias Bausenwein said: “This bid is another example of bp and Equinor in action to produce cleaner energy and help states meet their offshore wind goals. We’re already progressing 3.3 GWs of planned offshore wind projects for New Yorkers. Our Beacon Wind 2 bid would allow us to produce even more renewable energy for the state while further investing in its economy, workforce and manufacturing sector.
"bp and Equinor have the skills, resources and experience to deliver on this vision. Together with the state, we can produce the energy New Yorkers need in the way they want it."
The bid incorporates substantial support for New York’s goal of ensuring that offshore wind benefits all New Yorkers. 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. 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’ proposal further deepens their commitment to boosting New York’s port infrastructure and sustaining hundreds of long-term jobs and substantial economic activity. In addition, it includes 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 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.
About Equinor Renewables US
Equinor is one of the largest offshore wind developers in the world. Its work in the United States includes the development of two lease areas off of New York, Empire Wind and Beacon Wind. The projects plan to provide New York State with 3.3 gigawatts (GWs) of energy – enough to power nearly two million homes – including more than 2 GWs from Empire Wind and 1,230 megawatts from Beacon Wind.
About bp in the US
bp’s ambition is to become a net-zero company by 2050 or sooner, and to help the world get to net-zero. bp is America’s largest energy investor since 2005, investing more than $130 billion in the economy and supporting about 230,000 jobs. For more information on bp in the US, visit www.bp.com/us.
About Beacon Wind
Beacon Wind is being developed by Equinor and bp and planned for an area of 128,000 acres in federal waters between Cape Cod and Long Island. The lease area was acquired in 2019 and is being developed in two phases. Beacon Wind 1 is on track to deliver over 1.2 GW of renewable energy directly to New York City in the late 2020s – enough to power around 1 million homes. Beacon Wind 2 has the capacity to generate at least another 1.2 GW of clean energy for consumers in the US Northeast.
About Empire Wind
Empire Wind is being developed by Equinor and bp through their 50-50 strategic partnership in the US. Empire Wind will power more than 1 million homes and generate 2.1 GW of power. For more information, please visit www.empirewind.com.