Energy company Equinor said in a statement that it secured over $3 billion in financing in December for its Empire Wind 1 project in New York.
The project’s 54 wind turbines will provide renewable energy for around 500,000 New York homes and is targeted to deliver its first power by 2027.
Empire Wind 1 will be positioned offshore 15 to 20 miles southeast of Long Island. The project spans 80,000 acres and has a contracted capacity of 810 megawatts. It is the first offshore wind project to connect to the New York City grid.
Total capital investments for Empire Wind 1 are estimated at around $5 billion.
Ground broke in June 2024 on the 73-acre South Brooklyn Marine Terminal construction project. The site is being developed as a staging, pre-assembly, operations, and maintenance location for Empire Wind’s turbine components.
Equinor’s wind project hub at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. Empire Wind 1 will be the first offshore wind project to connect directly to the New York City grid. Image: Equinor
The Brooklyn facility will include an onshore substation to connect 810 MW of wind power to the Con Edison Gowanus substation. Empire Wind 1 would be the first offshore wind project to connect directly to the New York City grid.
New York City officials have stated a goal of transforming its fossil fuel-dependent electricity grid into a zero-emission power source by 2040, a trend also seen in other localities.
In his 2025 Construction Economy Outlook, Chief Economist Michael Guckes of ConstructConnect wrote that “the electrification of the economy will continue to drive significant demand for power generation and power infrastructure projects.”
Rendering of the Empire Wind 1 Onshore Substation at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. It will connect to the Con Edison Gowanus Substation. Image: Equinor
According to Equinor, Vestas is Empire Wind 1’s preferred supplier of wind turbine generators. Vestas will deliver 138 V236-15MW wind turbine generators with a total generating capacity of around 2GW.
New York Offshore Wind Projects map showing the approximate location of Empire Wind 1 in the center of the image. The Gowanus Substation and South Brooklyn Marine Terminal are on the inset. Image: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Floating turbines, like those Equinor deploys, can be placed almost anywhere where the water is deep enough. Equinor said the approach harnesses the best wind resources and reduces conflicts with other ocean users.
Offshore wind turbines in an unspecified location. Image: Equinor
Building product specifications for the Vestas V236-15MW turbines, according to Equinor, are:
The company added that a single Vestas V236-15MW turbine rotation can power a New York home for about 1.5 days.
Molly Morris, president of Equinor Renewables Americas, highlighted the project’s potential to create economic growth with construction jobs. “Our redevelopment of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal is already putting more than 1,000 people to work,” she said.
Morris added, “Empire Wind 1 will strengthen US energy security, build economic growth, and fuel a new American supply chain.”
Equinor is developing two US leases for wind-powered energy: this project, Empire Wind, and Atlas Wind off the coast of California.
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