Community Benefit Agreements

• In 2022, NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYC EDC) and Equinor committed to establishing a $5 million ecosystem fund to support New York City residents in entering the offshore wind industry. The clean energy community grant fund is designed to support sustainable growth, workforce development, empowerment of underserved communities, and climate justice in the city’s emerging offshore wind ecosystem.

• In 2023, NYC EDC established the Waterfront Pathways program, which provides education and direct support to help businesses navigate the contract bidding process. The program aims to increase opportunities for minority-, women-, and disadvantaged-owned business enterprises in the offshore wind and waterfront industries

• Equinor has committed to making the port a low-emissions facility.

• As suggested by the community, Equinor will establish an offshore wind energy learning center near the terminal.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024

• In 2023, the town of Brookhaven, NY signed a host community agreement with Sunrise Wind that will provide a $168.9 million benefit package to the town, county, and other jurisdictions. The package includes $135.95 million in impact fees, which will be paid in 25 installments of $5 million to $6 million annually, starting once the Sunrise project begins producing power; additionally, the package includes a $3 million parks payment aimed to improve public parks and open space and a $2 million hamlet payment that will go toward ambulance and public health services. Within the agreement is also a $28 million PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) payment. The town of Brookhaven will receive $130 million from the agreement, with Suffolk County and local school districts sharing the remaining amount.

• Prior to signing the agreement, Brookhaven's Industrial Development Agency signed a different agreement providing Sunrise Wind with $90 million in tax breaks for construction of the cable landing and an operations center.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024

• Through a host community agreement with North East Offshore, the city of New London will receive $7.5 million over 10 years, with potential increases or decreases in this amount depending on how the port is used. The agreement includes a $750,000 annual payment for 10 years, with potential increases of $250,000 to $1 million in later years depending on use of State Pier. Payments can also increase up to $1.5 million annually based on state wind energy procurements. However, payments can also decrease to $250,000 annually if State Pier is subleased. State Pier is a state-owned tax exempt property in the city of New London.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024

• Through a host community agreement with Vineyard Wind, signed in 2018, the town of Barnstable will receive at least $16 million in host community payments. This includes annual payments, plus an additional $60,000 annually (adjusted for inflation) if the project's lifetime extends beyond that period; the agreement also accounts for several contingencies based on cable route, as a cable route had not been selected at the time that it was signed. This agreement is in addition to property tax revenues.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024

• In 2024, the town of Portsmouth, RI and SouthCoast Wind Energy signed a host community agremeent that will provide $23.2 million to the town over the SouthCoast project lifetime. This includes a $500,000 payment after the agreement was signed, two $250,000 payments at the start of each project phase's construction, annual payments of $250,000 for 20 years (increased annually), and annual payments of $125,000 in years 21-33 of the project if it is still operating. A fixed portion ($125,000) of the annual payment amount is considered a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) payment. Additionally, the agreement includes a $3.25 million payment at the start of construction that will go into a town climate resilience fund or other public benefit project.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024

• Through a host community agreement with Ørsted and Eversource, the town of East Hampton, NY and trustee boards will receive approximately $29 million in addition to property taxes. The agreement includes a $500,000 payment after the agreement was signed, a $500,000 payment after the project began operating, and $700,000 annually (with annual increases) for 25 years. The agreement also establishes a $5.5 million fund held by the town, called the Wainscott Fund, which will be paid into when operations begin and one year into operations. The developers are required to employ a liaison to facilitate communications between the company and the commercial fishing community for the life of the project.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024

• Through a host community agreement with the town of Barnstable, signed in 2022 and updated in 2024, Avangrid will provide more than $24 million to the town of Barnstable. This includes a $16 million payment within sixty days of the project's financial close, $5.5 million for post-construction streetscaping, $2.4 million for sewer construction, and $500,000 for the Barnstable High School Environmental Science and Technology Lab. The agreement also includes reimbursement for any business disruptions during cable construction. The original agreement signed in 2022 included only the $16 million payment, which was to be paid over 20 years rather than at one time; the additional provisions and new payment schedule were added in 2024 through a side agreement with the town.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024

• In 2024, the city of Salem and Crowley Wind Services signed a community benefit agreement worth nearly $9 million. The agremeent has commitments in the areas of workforce and economic development, sustainability, housing and infrastructure, impacts to city services, Salem Public Schools and education, and other CBA commitments. This includes over $400,000 for scholarships, $187,500 for bilingual outreach to support local access to the offshore wind industry, $3.5 million for Salem Public Schools programs, funding for Indigenous history and cultural education, establishment of a $500,000 Climate Adaptation Fund, a commitment to port electrification by 2040, a commitment to local and diverse hiring, rental assistance for port workers, funding for Salem municipal projects and services, funding for monitoring and compliance of the CBA, reimbursement for legal and consultant expenses incurred by the city, and many other provisions.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024

• The Bering Straits Native Corporation Board of Directors passed a resolution requiring that 50% of all their profits from the Banner Peak wind project be reinvested in renewable energy projects in the 17 villages of the Bering Straits Region.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024

• Through a community benefit agreement with the island community of Monhegan, ME, Maine Aqua Ventus will provide at at least $2.43 million in upfront funding and technical assistance for Monhegan to plan, design, and construct its own energy system. This would allow Monhegan Island to be independent of a mainland cable connection, as well as providing additional support for operations and maintenance. The agreement allocates $100,000 for a community broadband project, which would expand Internet access on the island, and $40,000 per year in a separate municipal fund. The University of Maine will help contribute to supporting other community priorities, such as energy efficiency, water systems, housing, transportation, and job training. Monhegan residents voted in favor of this benefit package.

• Maine Aqua Ventus and the University of Maine covered the expense of hiring technical experts and legal counsel to assist the community with the benefit agreement.

Verified by WINDExchange on Aug. 1, 2024