The future of SBMT unveiled at learning center launch in Sunset Park

Staff

The future of SBMT unveiled at learning center launch in Sunset Park
Officials cut the ribbon at WindScape Brooklyn, an interactive learning center, on Sept. 19 at Industry City. From left: Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn borough president; Oswaldo Garcia, UPROSE regenerative economies coordinator; Doreen M. Harris, NYSERDA president; Molly Morris, Equinor Renewables America president; Melissa Román Burch, NYCEDC COO; Felicia Chang, Sunset Park High School assistant principal; Adolfo Carrión Jr., NYC deputy mayor; Samuel Byrne, Equinor Renewables Americas operations vice president.

WindScape Brooklyn, an interactive learning center in Industry City, was unveiled Sept. 19. Developed with Equinor’s Empire Wind project and local educators, the center aims to connect residents to hands-on science and green workforce pathways.

Community leaders, stakeholders, and students were on hand to test the center’s interactive exhibits, including a working turbine model demonstrating offshore wind mechanics; an ecology wall on marine life and monitoring tools; and a VR wind tech training station.

But for Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes, who grew up in Sunset Park, it was the view that kept her attention: a commanding look at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, where Empire Wind’s staging and marshaling area, onshore substation, and operations base are taking shape.

“To know that it was the very same folks that had a vision about what we can do, who held tight to that vision and kept fighting, that’s the only way we could have made something like this,” Mitaynes said. “That speaks volumes about this community being able to transition into the future.”

So far, construction at SBMT has generated more than 2,000 union jobs for New Yorkers, including over 400 from Brooklyn and at least 100 from Sunset Park and nearby zip codes, according to Equinor. Under the project labor agreement, contractors are required to hire locally, first from Sunset Park, then Brooklyn, then the rest of the city. The agreement also prioritizes NYCHA residents, veterans, and minority- and women-owned businesses.

The deal was secured in part by grassroots organizing from groups such as UPROSE, which for decades fought to replace polluting industry on the waterfront with clean energy and living-wage jobs. According to Oswaldo Garcia, UPROSE’s Regenerative Economies Coordinator, that pressure helped lock in labor standards and community benefits at SBMT.

Council Member Alexa Avilés also framed the $861 million redevelopment project as a win for grassroots organizing. “Had the community not held their feet to the fire, the city would have just put some random thing there,” she said. “But it was the Sunset Park community that stood up and said, no, we envision a different future, where wealth stays in our community, where you hire our workers, where you educate our children.”

While construction crews that day were busy below, Empire Wind has faced its share of challenges. In 2023, offshore wind projects across New York State were upended as inflation and supply-chain costs spiked and developers demanded adjustments to their original contracts. State officials refused, the contracts were canceled, and Equinor was forced to restructure and rebid Empire Wind under new terms before moving forward.

Further doubts arose when the Trump administration took office in 2025, culminating in a stop-work order on Empire Wind’s offshore construction that April. While the order was lifted the following month after pressure from New York leaders, the immediate future of offshore wind development remains uncertain even as Equinor says its offshore wind turbines will start going online in late 2026 and be fully operational in 2027, delivering enough energy to serve about half a million homes.

Sunset Park High School Assistant Principal Felicia Chang advised on WindScape’s design, and SPHS students will fill 10 internship roles at the center, establishing a pipeline to long-term opportunities as administrative, training, and operations and maintenance roles become available at SBMT.

“We really want kids to have opportunities and exposure to all the changes happening in their community,” said Principal Miguel Negron. “We’re just two blocks away, and it’s perfect.”

Malko Bierre, 18, was among the youth at the ribbon-cutting event. While he’s currently in vocational training to be a plumber, he expressed deep interest in pursuing work in the renewable energy sector. “Green energy is important because it saves our environment,” Bierre said. “It’s superheroes without powers, honestly.”