Empire Wind, a 50-50 partnership between Equinor and BP, is New York State’s first large-scale offshore wind farm.
The Lease Area is being developed in phases, the first of which is known as Empire Wind 1. The power generated by Empire Wind 1 will be transported from the project site south of Long Island, under New York Harbour, to a point of interconnection in Gowanus, New York.
Challenge
Cable routing will contend with one of the most intensive shipping channels and anchorages on the US east coast by both tonnage and number of vessels, Gravesend Bay.
As this area was identified as potentially having an increased risk of an anchor strike, a dedicated Cable Burial Risk Assessment was required.
Solution
Working in partnership with Sea Risk Solutions LLC, and Tetra Tech Inc, NASH Maritime helped assess three export cable routes in and around Gravesend Bay and New York Harbour.
An innovative strategic planning tool, based on the highest scientific rigour, was created that enabled high-precision and robust prediction of which sections of the cable route were most at risk and optimising burial depth, minimising cost whilst maximising protection.
The evaluation adopted the Carbon Trust’s Cable Burial Risk Assessment Guidance, a standardised, repeatable, and qualitative method for managing risk to offshore wind farm subsea cables.
Empire Wind submitted its original Construction and Operations Plan in January, 2020 and provided an updated Plan in April, 2021. In June 2021 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published its Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Empire Wind Project.
