Wind turbine plant opens in Sunset Park

Sunset Park celebrated Earth Day early with the opening of a new wind turbine assembly site on the 39th Street pier on Monday.
This past January, the Norwegian energy company Equinor was given the greenlight by the state Energy Research and Development Authority to construct three offshore wind farms near off coast of Long Island.
The company decided on the 39th Street Pier as their assembly site for the new turbines, placing the southern Brooklyn neighborhood at the forefront of New York’s fight against the climate crisis.
The project will also reconstruct the derelict pier, which has been abandoned for decades. The revitalization project will be funded by the company and by state-matched funds. The wind turbines assembled at the site will be as tall as the Chrysler Building.
“Today we are here to honor the progress that Sunset Park and Brooklyn’s working waterfront are making in the path to the greener future,” said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez during an event on Monday. “The victory for the community brings us one step closer to a working sustainable waterfront by creating a production hub for the offshore industry in New York City.”
The 73-acre facility will operate as the staging, installation, and maintenance for the planned wind farms, two of which will be located about 50 miles away from the Verrazano Bridge. The third farm will be located further East off the coast of Long Island.
Assembly at the Sunset Park site is expected to begin in three years, after a long process of permitting, construction, and repair.
It will also generate new jobs for residents of Sunset Park and the surrounding area, and Equinor is planning on sourcing materials from local businesses.
“A more resilient New York must be a place where we provide opportunities, investment, and good union jobs as part of our adaptation, especially for often neglected communities in the outer boroughs that have borne much of the brunt of climate change,” said Councilman Justin Brannan of Bay Ridge. “Utilizing our unique waterfront and ports in southern Brooklyn to manufacture renewable energy like wind turbines is one major way we can do that.”