Equinor and bp, the 50-50 partners in the Empire and Beacon Wind projects, held the second of three supplier expo events at the CUNY (City University of New York) Graduate Center in Manhattan on February 7. Over 150 local and regional manufacturers, suppliers, and contractors attended to meet key offshore wind project suppliers and vendors. The event offered an important opportunity for New York City small businesses to learn how to take part in the local offshore wind supply chain arising from new large-scale projects like Equinor and bp's Empire Wind 1 and 2 and Beacon Wind under development off the Long Island coast.
The expo focused on finding solutions to industry supply chain issues by developing partnerships with local New York businesses. Speakers included Georges Sassine, the Vice President of Large-Scale Renewables at NYSERDA; U.S. service vessel manufacturer Edison Chouest, as well as representatives from labor, the Workforce Development Institute (WDI), and Vestas. The event featured panels that focused on workforce development opportunities springing from the substantial new investments in New York's offshore wind infrastructure.
Equinor and bp also announced at the expo that New York City-based Skanska, one of the world's largest construction and development companies, has been chosen to serve as construction manager for the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal's (SBMT) offshore wind-related upgrades. Skanska's initial involvement will be to provide pre-construction services. SBMT will serve as a staging hub for the construction of Empire and Beacon Wind.
"These Supply Chain Expos are a fantastic opportunity for New York businesses to start getting involved in this exciting new industry. Equinor and bp's investments are helping provide the seeds for an entire offshore wind ecosystem in the state. There is an enormous appetite among local businesses to participate in the effort to provide New York with renewable energy. This event served as a great opportunity to meet with the many talented businesses from across this great city that could play a vital role as partners in building this industry for New York," said Molly Morris, President of Equinor Wind US.
In addition to panels, speakers and networking, companies that have contracts with Equinor set up tables and supplied information on their involvement in the offshore wind industry. Participants included Vestas and Maersk as well as NYSERDA. A matchmaking session also took place for key suppliers to meet one-on-one with New York City businesses.
BOND Civil & Utility Construction, the firm responsible for EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) of Empire Wind 1's onshore substation, was also in attendance. Since being awarded the project in March 2022, BOND C&U has worked closely with Equinor and bp in the early stages of the project, supporting outreach to local suppliers and businesses for the Empire and Beacon Wind projects.
"We are committed to the communities in which we work and are eager to grow our network and partner with more local businesses to create more green, good paying jobs and expand the local offshore wind supply chain of the future. We are thankful to Equinor and bp for convening an event that connects industry leaders, local businesses, and workforce development programs to ensure stakeholders throughout the supply chain play a vital role in New York's renewable energy industry," said Daniel Foppiano, VP, NYC/NJ, BOND Civil & Utility.
"Vestas is excited to join Equinor once again to participate in the Supply Chain Expo and connect with diverse and local suppliers in the State of New York. This is a key step to establishing a sustainable supply chain, creating reliable, long-term jobs, and building an inclusive clean energy economy in New York," said Amy McGinty, Vice President of Offshore Construction and Operations, Vestas North America.
"We are excited to be participating in Equinor's New York Supplier Expo and are committed to working with the local community on building the sustainable energy future." - Ragnhild Kattleland, EVP Generation and Transmission and Special Telecom Business Group, Nexans
The third supplier expo will take place at Farmingdale State College on Long Island on March 10th. You can register for that event by clicking here.
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 1. For more information, please visit www.equinor.com/NY.
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 has a larger economic footprint in the United States than anywhere else in the world, investing more than $135 billion in the economy and supporting about 245,000 jobs. For more information on bp in the US, please visit www.bp.com/us.
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.
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 1.2 GW of renewable energy directly to New York City in the late 2020s - enough to power 1 million homes. Beacon Wind 2 has the capacity to generate another 1.2 GW of clean energy for consumers in the US Northeast. For more information, please visit www.beaconwind.com.
Contacts
Lauren Shane
Laush@equinor.com
+1 (917) 392- 4252
Brian Young
bry@equinor.com
+1 (917) 915-6461
