The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Clean Air Act permit for Empire Offshore Wind LLC. The offshore wind farm will be in federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf about 12 nautical miles (13.8 miles) south of Long Island, NY and 17 nautical miles (19.6 miles) east of Long Branch, NJ. To ensure transparency, EPA sought and received public comment before the permit was finalized.
"EPA is happy to partner with New York state in leading the way to a clean energy future. When built, this project is expected to generate more than 2,000 megawatts of electrical power for New York State—enough to power as many as a million homes,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This project is part of a larger effort by the Biden Administration to invest in America and generate 30 gigawatts of clean, abundant energy from offshore wind by 2030."
The Empire Wind project for which EPA has issued a permit, will include up to 147 offshore wind turbines, two offshore substations, and the associated cables needed to transport the electricity. There will also be onshore components associated with the Empire Wind project that are not addressed in the air permit being issued today. Onshore components are being addressed in separate federal, state, and local permitting or government processes. Offshore construction is anticipated to begin in 2024 and be completed within four years.
Before issuing a permit, EPA conducted an air quality analysis that showed the main air quality impacts of the project will occur during construction and will be offshore over the water area around the project. The air quality analysis also showed that the impacts on air quality from the construction and operation of the project will not cause or contribute to a violation of federal air quality standards. EPA's approval is in concert with other federal approvals and actions for the project, including the issuance of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's Record of Decision.
