A giant construction company called Skanska has been chosen to transform a Brooklyn waterfront area into a major center for offshore wind power. An old shipping terminal in South Brooklyn will be completely changed to support a wind energy project called Empire Wind.
Empire Wind will use massive turbines (147 in total!) located far out in the ocean to generate clean electricity for over 1 million homes. The Brooklyn waterfront will be upgraded to handle these giant wind turbine parts. This includes creating a place to store them, building a special area to put them together before they go out to sea, and making sure the docks are strong enough to handle them.
A new building will be constructed to house offices, a warehouse, and parking for the people who will be working on this wind energy project. Construction is expected to take until 2026.
Once everything is finished, this Brooklyn hub will not only store and assemble wind turbine parts for Empire Wind, but it will also be the permanent maintenance center for the project. Plus, it will be a key point where the clean wind energy gets plugged into the regular electricity grid that powers homes and businesses in New York City.
This project is a big deal not just for Brooklyn, but for the entire East Coast. This Brooklyn hub is designed to be a central location that can support the growth of offshore wind power in the future. That means cleaner energy for everyone!
