Equinor has secured approval from the New York State Public Service Commission (NYPSC) to construct and operate transmission facilities for the 816 MW Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project.
The transmission line for Empire Wind 1 stretches approximately 17.5 miles (28 km) from New York State waters to an interconnection point in Brooklyn.
The approval involves work at Con Edison’s Gowanus substation, including excavation, duct bank installation, cable pulling, and site restoration.
The project includes two 230-kV high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) submarine export cables spanning a 15.1-mile corridor from the New York waters boundary to Brooklyn. There is also a 0.2-mile onshore cable route and substation with two three-core 230-kV HVAC cables linking to the onshore substation.
An onshore substation at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal will increase voltage to 345 kV for interconnection cables, which include two 345-kV cable circuits with three single-core HVAC cables, buried underground to the Gowanus substation owned by Con Edison.
Situated 25-48 km southeast of Long Island, the 816 MW offshore wind farm will feature 54 Vestas 15 MW turbines.
Initially owned by Equinor and BP, the joint venture was restructured in January 2024. Equinor took full control of Empire Wind 1 and 2, while BP assumed ownership of the 2.5 GW Beacon Wind project.
By early 2025, the developer secured over USD 3 billion in project financing, reaching financial close on Empire Wind 1.
The wind farm is expected to produce first power in late 2026 and full commissioning in 2027.
Follow offshoreWIND.biz on:
Original Story at www.offshorewind.biz