A specially formed consortium between GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions and BOND Civil & Utility Construction has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract from Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and bp, to supply a state-of-the-art digital onshore substation for Empire Wind 1, one of New York’s first offshore wind farm projects.
Empire Wind 1 is planned for an area of 80,000 acres, in federal waters, an average of 20 miles south of Long Island, east of the Rockaways. Once operational, it will power more than 500,000 New York homes. Project partners conducted local community outreach to ensure a collaborative and transparent construction process, share information about local job opportunities, and establish trusted working relationships with all stakeholders and front-line communities, and will continue to do so throughout the construction process.
The GE-BOND consortium led by GE’s Grid Solutions will be responsible for delivering the onshore substation and interconnection cable in Brooklyn, New York City, on an EPC basis, as well as designing and supplying the high-voltage electrical systems for the offshore substation. Engaged with Equinor since the Pre-FEED phase (pre-front end engineering design), GE’s AC Systems Group coordinated the implementation of digital substations including advanced digital monitoring, controls, and software systems, GE will provide the critical connection and power balance needed between the offshore wind farm and the point of interconnection to the NY electrical grid.
BOND Civil & Utility will be responsible for all aspects of construction of the onshore substation and interconnection cable, site restoration, and high voltage electric equipment installation for the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) substation. Development of the onshore and offshore substations will start this year, with construction expected to begin during the second half of 2023.
“This contract award marks another big step for the Empire Wind project,” says Siri Espedal Kindem, president of Equinor Wind US. “Through this commitment we will continue to advance this flagship offshore wind development, generating local jobs and shaping the growth of this industry. Together with our partner bp, Equinor will deliver homegrown, renewable energy to New York households, making a substantial contribution to the New York state’s leading climate ambitions.”
GE’s Grid Solutions and BOND Civil and Utility plan to open a project office in Brooklyn that will host the complete project teams. GE and BOND are also committed to give opportunities to New York based suppliers and contractors to be part of this exciting project.
“As the consortium leader for the Empire Wind 1 EPC contract, we are excited to move ahead with this landmark project,” states Johan Bindele, AC Systems’ business leader at GE’s Grid Solutions. “The award of Empire Wind 1 is testimony to our leadership and expertise of our AC Systems Project Group in North America and its ability of integrating turnkey high voltage electrical systems for the alternating current (AC) offshore market to help accelerate the energy transition in the US. Over the past 15 years, GE has been awarded significant contracts to deliver high-voltage AC systems for 18 offshore wind projects, connecting 5 GW of offshore wind farms.”
The Brooklyn terminal will serve as a hub for Equinor and bp’s Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects that will supply 3.3 GW of energy. The complex will be transformed into a major staging and assembly facility for the industry, as well as a long-term operations and maintenance base. Equinor recently announced a New York project office located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, opposite the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
“We are thrilled with Equinor and bp’s vote of confidence in BOND Civil & Utility’s capabilities to execute on the Empire Wind 1 project,” comments Kane Cuddy, president of BOND Civil & Utility Construction. “We look forward to bringing over a century of experience in generation, transmission, and distribution construction to ensure clean energy delivery to customers and working with GE’s Grid Solutions on this state-of-the-art substation and major renewable energy project to help New York State meet its ambitious clean energy and climate goals.”
