New York, NY (March 31, 2023) – Today, Leading Light Wind, the only American-led offshore wind project in the New York Bight, released the first rendering of Leading Light Wind’s proposed offshore wind Operations & Maintenance (O&M) facility at Dry Dock 4 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The facility is part of Leading Light Wind’s bid to the New York State Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and its renovation will be made possible through investment provided to Brooklyn Navy Yard by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), contingent on activation of Dry Dock 4 under NYSERDA’s third offshore wind procurement. If selected, the proposal would help to reactivate a significant piece of New York City’s maritime infrastructure and generate new economic and job opportunities for local workers and businesses.
The O&M facility will serve as the primary port for operations of the Leading Light Wind offshore wind project and will expand the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s existing working waterfront to provide further capabilities to existing BNY tenants like GMD Shipyard. The redevelopment will include a newly renovated Dry Dock 4, which will feature a wet berth facility, enhanced deep water access for a range of offshore wind service vessels, renovated office and warehouse facilities, and other key infrastructure upgrades to support offshore wind development.
Building on the culture of innovation that the Brooklyn Navy Yard is known for, a co-located marine innovation test bed within Dry Dock 4 will support development of new undersea technologies that will serve as an invaluable asset not only to the offshore wind industry but to the broader maritime industry and marine research community.
“The offshore wind industry has the capacity to create thousands of jobs and new business opportunities for New Yorkers who feel the impacts of climate change most acutely – including opportunities for MWBEs, SDVOBs, and members of historically marginalized communities,” said Lindsay Greene, CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. “The transformation of one of oldest maritime facilities into a state-of-the-art O&M facility in one of the nation’s leading clean energy sectors will propel our state and city to the forefront of this important conversation and provide real, tangible impacts in the fight against climate change.”
In addition to redeveloping Dry Dock 4 into an offshore wind innovation hub, as part of its proposal, Leading Light Wind will support the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Albert C. Wiltshire Employment Center with over $800,000 of funding that will fund recruitment efforts and training programs, connecting New York job seekers from local, frontline communities to newly created career opportunities in offshore wind. Workforce training provided by the Employment Center will ensure that New York’s workforce is upskilled and trained to meet the needs of the growing offshore wind industry, providing a sustainable economic future for the region.
“Our proposed investment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard represents an opportunity to reactivate significant New York City infrastructure and facilitate a just transition for American workers and businesses,” said Wes Jacobs, Project Director, Leading Light Wind. “It illustrates the full power of a burgeoning offshore wind industry in New York: this is not just about clean energy – this is about jobs, revitalization, and sustained economic benefits for decades to come.”
Leading Light Wind is focused on an equitable offshore wind industry in New York and will establish a Community Benefits Program with up to $300 million in investments and funding that will help drive stakeholder-directed community empowerment, building of an inclusive workforce, accelerating the offshore wind supply chain among local New York companies, and pioneering innovative and collaborative environmental research. Initial partnerships with community-based organizations and institutions include the Waterfront Alliance, the Albert C. Wiltshire Employment Center at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, CUNY Offshore Wind Advisory Network, CUNY College of Staten Island, Gotham Whale, the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation, and collaboration with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (the Waterfront Pathways Program as well as a newly proposed Lift All Boats fund to support small businesses). Additional partnerships will be developed as engagement happens and feedback from community stakeholders is incorporated into the Community Benefits Program.
“The Brooklyn Navy Yard has been a model for a modern, innovative industrial park for years and we are excited to now see it become a leader in green energy with the presence of Leading Light Wind at Dry Dock 4,” said Councilmember Lincoln Restler. “This operations and maintenance facility for offshore wind operations will be a hub for good green jobs and renewable energy for our community and we welcome this effort to sustainably reactivate our waterfront.”
“We are passionate about building resilient, revitalized, and accessible coastlines for all communities in New York – and the investment being made in the Brooklyn Navy Yard by Leading Light Wind underscores the cross-sector support needed to pursue smart development that prioritizes the needs of frontline communities. We applaud this project’s commitment to our rigorous WEDG standards for coastal design as part of the revitalization of Dry Dock 4 to ensure that resilience, ecological, and public access benefits in communities are at the center of design and construction decisions,” said Cortney Koenig Worrall, President and CEO, Waterfront Alliance. “We are excited by the revitalization to waterfront infrastructure that will advance economic development, create jobs, and drive innovation, all while being a partner to the environment.”
“GMD Shipyard is excited to partner with Leading Light Wind to bring the offshore wind industry to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Their team is dedicated to seeking out minority-owned businesses like our company and we look forward to working with them and bolstering the working waterfront in the New York harbor,” said Alex Gomez, President of GMD Shipyard.
About Leading Light Wind
Leading Light Wind is an American-led offshore wind project that will bring locally sourced, renewable energy to the East Coast. A partnership between lead developer Invenergy and New York-based co-developer energyRe, we believe in empowering the communities where we live and work. Leading Light Wind will build on our track record of impactful community engagement and innovation in sustainable American infrastructure to advance public health, create good-paying jobs, and support our local supply chain. Learn more at leadinglightwind.com.
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Rachel Roseneck
