Gardline, under contract to Alpine Ocean Seismic Survey (Alpine), is conducting geophysical survey operations at the proposed Empire Wind site, Equinor’s first offshore wind investment in the USA.The Empire Wind site is located approximately 20 miles south of Long Island, New York, covering 80,000 acres (321km2). The lease comprises an area that could potentially accommodate more than 1 GW of offshore wind, with a phased development expected to start with 400-800 MW, with potential operations starting in the mid-2020s. Gardline’s vessel RV Ocean Researcher commenced operations on the Main Lease Area earlier this month and work is expected to continue until August. Operations comprise of high-resolution geophysical surveys, shallow geotechnical investigation and benthic sampling. Survey results will be used to produce a Construction and Operations Plan to inform seabed characteristics and archaeological resource for the purpose of wind farm design and permitting assessments.
