With an anticipated generation capacity of more than 2 GW of renewable power, the Empire Wind development will utilise 15 MW wind turbines and is expected to play a major role in meeting New York State’s goal of reaching 70% renewable energy by 2030. COWI will provide over 100 experts to work on all aspects of the wind turbine foundation design, from the tower interface to the seabed fastening – including steel, geotechnical, and electrical design for the project as well as engineering support for fabrication, transportation, and installation.
The development spans 80 000 acres and is in water depths ranging from 65 - 131 ft. The project calls for the detailed engineering of 138 foundations with diameters of approximately 30 ft and lengths up to 330 ft.
Greg Matzat, Market Director, Offshore Wind & Renewables at COWI comments “We are thrilled to be supporting Equinor and BP on one of the largest offshore wind projects in the US. It is developments like this that really excite us, a complex engineering project, at the head of the development of a new industry in the US, that has huge social benefits and will help New York and the US achieve their renewable energy goals. The offshore wind industry in the US is booming, and we see great potential here for our engineers to continue providing innovative solutions for our clients.”
The announcement adds Empire Wind to COWI’s large offshore wind portfolio in the US, having previously won a seven-year contract for Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts. The company has also secured numerous other projects on both coasts with respect to marine terminals, site assessments, geotechnical analysis, turbine and offshore substation foundation designs. COWI has been engineering wind solutions in Europe since 1980, is also active in Asia and has over 1200 turbine foundations of their design installed worldwide.
