The consortium between Van Oord and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLDD) has been chosen as the main contractor for the subsea rock installation works of an offshore wind project in the US.
The consortium has been selected by Empire Offshore Wind – a joint venture between Equinor and bp – to lead the subsea installation works of its Empire Wind I & II project.
The offshore wind development, located on the east coast of the US, has been billed as an “important step” toward providing renewable energy to the state of New York.
Van Oord’s scope involves preparing the seabed with the placement of filter rock prior to the installation of monopile foundations – work which will be executed by the fallpipe vessel ‘Stornes’.
GLDD will install armour rocks as a stabilisation and protection layer after the monopiles have been installed.
GLDD is currently building its own Jones-Act compliant fallpipe vessel.
The consortium plans to start operations at the Empire Wind I and II sites in the mid-2020s.
Due to the geographical location of Empire I and II, GLDD has ample access to rocks produced from domestic quarries.
It says this is an important requirement for generating local content related to materials and employment in the state of New York.
The wind farms are planned for an area 32km south of Long Island.
When complete, the project will comprise up to 174 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of about two gigawatts.
The renewable power generated is sufficient to supply around one million households in New York.
The project is considered a flagship offshore wind development, designed to produce renewable electricity to deliver on the state’s climate ambitions and create new opportunities for economic growth and employment.
Image: Van Oord’s Stornes vessel. Credit: Van Oord
Read next: Work starts on largest floating solar installation in US
Are you a building professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.
