Empire Wind
Empire Wind is a planned offshore wind farm in the New York Bight off the coasts of New York and New Jersey, U.S., approximately 15–30 miles south of Long Island. It is being developed solely by the Norwegian energy company Equinor, although it was previously a joint venture with BP. The project is divided into two phases – Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2 – having a combined potential capacity of over 2 gigawatts. The wind farm is located in federal lease area OCS-A 0512 and is intended to supply renewable electricity to New York State, contributing to its clean energy goals.
The first phase, Empire Wind 1, has a planned capacity of 810–816 MW and was originally expected to begin operation by the mid-2020s. Due to permitting and grid interconnection delays, its completion target was pushed back by about 18 months to the end of 2026, and New York authorities now list its expected commercial operation date as 2027. Empire Wind 1 will consist of around 60–80 turbines and will deliver power via a subsea cable coming ashore in Brooklyn. The second phase, Empire Wind 2, is approximately 1.2 GW and was slated to come online later in the decade, bringing the project's total capacity to over 2 GW.
Both Empire Wind 1 and 2 were initially awarded long-term power offtake contracts by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The power purchase agreement for Empire Wind 2 was terminated in January 2024, but the project itself remains ongoing. Empire Wind 1's contract, which was maintained, continues toward construction and operation on the adjusted schedule. The project has achieved key regulatory milestones, including approval of an environmental review from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and approval of an onshore grid connection from New York state for Empire Wind 1's transmission line. In early 2024, Equinor agreed to take full ownership of Empire Wind, while bp took full ownership of the separate Beacon Wind project off New England. Following this swap, Equinor re-submitted Empire Wind 1 into New York's latest offshore wind solicitation; Empire Wind 2 would be bid into a future solicitation once economic conditions improve. The first phase of the Empire Wind project is expected to be operational by 2027.
On 22 December 2025, the US interior department suspended Empire Wind and four other offshore wind leases over what it said were 'national security concerns'.
Ørsted filed a lawsuit against suspending Revolution Wind. On 12 January 2026, US district judge Lamberth has overturned this construction freeze. He said this project is likely to succeed in the ongoing legal dispute.
Lease area
Location and boundaries
The Empire Wind project is sited in BOEM lease area OCS-A 0512, located in federal waters of the Outer Continental Shelf in the New York Bight. The lease area covers approximately 79,350 acres and lies about 14 miles south of Long Island, New York, and roughly 17 miles east of Long Branch, New Jersey. At its closest point to shore, the lease boundary is about 11.5 nautical miles offshore. The site spans roughly 5 OCS blocks in a triangular area extending southeast from its western edge, with water depths ranging from about 65 to 130 feet across the lease area.History of the lease area
The New York Wind Energy Area was first proposed in 2011 via an unsolicited application by the New York Power Authority to develop offshore wind in this region. In response, BOEM initiated a competitive leasing process: it issued a Request for Interest in January 2013 to gauge other developers’ interest, and after receiving multiple nominations, BOEM formally designated a New York offshore wind Call Area in 2014. Federal agencies conducted environmental reviews, including a draft Environmental Assessment in 2016. Based on stakeholder input, BOEM removed a 1,780-acre portion of the area from leasing consideration. The final Wind Energy Area identified in March 2016 was about 2% smaller than initially proposed, resulting in the ~79,350-acre lease area. BOEM published a Proposed Sale Notice in June 2016, followed by a Final Sale Notice in October 2016 outlining the lease terms and area.In December 2016, BOEM held a competitive auction for the New York lease area. After 33 bidding rounds, Statoil Wind US LLC submitted the winning bid of $42.47 million, securing the lease OCS-A 0512. The lease was officially awarded and executed in March 2017, marking the first commercial offshore wind lease off New York. Statoil later renamed the project Empire Wind, reflecting its location near the New York “Empire State” coast.
Infrastructure connections
The Empire Wind lease area is being developed as two phased projects, each with separate export cable routes and grid interconnections. Empire Wind 1 will deliver power via submarine cables, making landfall in Brooklyn, New York. The export cables come ashore at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, where a new onshore substation will step up the voltage to 345 kV. From there, underground high-voltage cables route to the point of interconnection at ConEdison's Gowanus 345 kV substation in Brooklyn. Empire Wind 2, in turn, is planned to route its cables to Long Island. The likely landfall is in Nassau County, with an onshore substation near the existing Barrett Substation on the Long Island Power Authority system. Empire Wind 2 would interconnect at the Barrett 138 kV substation, linking the offshore wind farm to the Long Island electric grid. These infrastructure plans ensure that power from the offshore turbines is transmitted to New York's onshore grid via established substation points.Additional Information
Lease area OCS-A 0512 is developed by Empire Offshore Wind LLC, a joint venture between Equinor and BP. In 2020, BP acquired a 50% stake in the Empire Wind project from Equinor, forming a partnership to invest in and build out the lease's wind farms. The two Empire Wind projects under this lease have a combined capacity of about 2,076 MW, enough to power over 700,000 homes. In November 2023, the U.S. Department of the Interior approved Empire Wind's Construction and Operations Plan, authorizing the installation of up to 147 wind turbines and multiple offshore substations within the lease area. This federal Record of Decision marked a key regulatory milestone, clearing the way for full construction and ensuring the lease area will contribute substantially to New York State's offshore wind energy goals.Regulatory and permitting
Empire Wind underwent a comprehensive regulatory review involving multiple federal and state agencies.Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management served as the lead agency for the project's Environmental Impact Statement under the National Environmental Policy Act. BOEM issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS in June 2021 to initiate the review, followed by public scoping meetings. A Draft EIS was released in November 2022, opening a 60-day public comment period that ran through January 17, 2023. BOEM published the Final EIS on September 15, 2023, evaluating the construction and operation of up to 147 wind turbines, two offshore substations, and associated cable routes, and analyzing a range of project alternatives and potential impacts on physical, biological, and socioeconomic resources. The Final EIS findings informed BOEM's decision on the project and included numerous mitigation measures to avoid or minimize impacts, such as seasonal restrictions to protect marine mammals and the establishment of a fisheries compensation fund to offset impacts on commercial fishing.Construction and Operations Plan (COP)
Empire Offshore Wind, LLC submitted a Construction and Operations Plan to BOEM detailing the design, construction methods, and operations for the two-phase Empire Wind project. The COP outlined the project layout and infrastructure, including the number and arrangement of wind turbine generators, the locations of two offshore substations, the routes of submarine export cables, and onshore transmission facilities connecting to the electric grid in New York. BOEM reviewed the COP in parallel with the EIS process. Following completion of environmental review, BOEM announced approval of the Empire Wind COP on February 22, 2024. This COP approval authorized the project's proposed construction and operations plan and set conditions for compliance and monitoring during construction and operation.Record of Decision (ROD)
After the Final EIS was completed, a Record of Decision was issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior for Empire Wind. The ROD, dated November 21, 2023, documented BOEM's decision to approve the construction and operation of the two offshore wind farms within the lease area. It formally authorized the installation of up to 147 wind turbines and associated offshore platforms, cables, and onshore grid connections as described in the COP.The ROD also enumerated required mitigation and monitoring measures as conditions of approval, in line with the EIS and consultation requirements. For example, the project was required to implement protective measures for marine wildlife and establish funds to compensate fisheries for any losses related to offshore construction impacts. With the ROD and COP approval in place, Empire Wind was cleared to proceed to the construction phase, subject to adherence to all stipulated conditions.