Community Offshore Wind Launches First Offshore Site Assessment Survey in New York Bight

Key Highlights

• Survey work will determine concept design and detail geophysical and environmental conditions within the lease area.
• Results will help Community Offshore Wind realize the site's offshore wind potential to power over one million homes in the Northeast.
• Community Offshore Wind prioritizes rigorous Health, Safety, and Environment procedures to promote safety for all ocean users.

Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture between RWE Renewables and National Grid, launched its geophysical survey campaign to study seabed conditions within the project lease area and potential export cable corridors in the New York Bight. The data collected will help inform safe and responsible project design and engineering, identifying potential geohazards and obstructions, as well as benthic habitats and archaeological resources.

The survey work, managed by Fugro, kicks off this week and will continue through summer 2023 with two vessels. Community Offshore Wind has collaborated closely with Fugro on the project phasing to accelerate the overall development process. Key to this approach is Fugro's use of advanced survey technology that can accurately and safely operate in winter sea conditions.

The Community Offshore Wind team is working closely with area fisheries to prevent the disruption of commercial and recreational fishing over the course of the survey's duration. Local commercial fishermen will be onboard the survey vessels to manage communication and coordinate with fishing fleets. Prior to the start of the survey, one of Community Offshore Wind's fisheries representatives, a commercial fisherman from Barnegat Light, NJ, scouted the area for fishing gear and other potential obstructions.

Maintaining safety and communication are the highest priorities for Community Offshore Wind during the survey. All survey vessels are subject to rigorous HSE (Health, Safety & Environment) screening and all project staff will follow the guidance documented in the Health and Safety Plan (HASP) prepared for this survey.

"The start of the site survey is an important milestone for the project," said Doug Perkins, President and Project Director, Community Offshore Wind. "The technical data collected will help us develop a more responsible and cost-effective project design. Our success relies on communication, safety and collaboration with other parties out on the water."

For more information on the survey and related work activity, please visit https://communityoffshorewind.com/fisheries.

About Community Offshore Wind

Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture between RWE and National Grid, will bring clean energy to the North-eastern US. They will develop offshore wind on the largest parcel in the New York Bight with the potential to host 3 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, which is enough to power over one million US homes and businesses. The project is expected to be in operation by 2030. Community Offshore Wind is dedicated to investing in communities by bringing clean energy jobs to the region and growing the local economy. They will deliver sustainable energy safely, reliably, and efficiently to the communities they serve.

About RWE Renewables

RWE is leading the way to a green energy world. With an extensive investment and growth strategy, the company will expand its powerful, green generation capacity to 50 gigawatts internationally by 2030. RWE is investing 50 billion gross for this purpose in this decade. The portfolio is based on offshore wind and onshore wind, solar, hydrogen, batteries, biomass and gas. RWE Supply & Trading provides tailored energy solutions for large customers. RWE has locations in the attractive markets of Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. The company is responsibly phasing out nuclear energy and coal. Government-mandated phaseout roadmaps have been defined for both of these energy sources. RWE employs around 19,000 people worldwide and has a clear target: to get to net zero by 2040. On its way there, the company has set itself ambitious targets for all activities that cause greenhouse gas emissions. The Science Based Targets initiative has confirmed that these emission reduction targets are in line with the Paris Agreement. Very much in the spirit of the company's purpose: Our energy for a sustainable life.

About National Grid Ventures

National Grid is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people throughout our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a path to a more affordable, reliable clean energy future through our fossil-free vision.

National Grid Ventures (NGV) is the non-regulated division of National Grid plc, one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world. NGV operates outside of National Grid's core regulated businesses in the US and UK where it develops, operates and invests in energy projects, technologies and partnerships to accelerate the development of a clean energy future. NGV's diverse portfolio of low carbon and renewable energy businesses across the UK, Europe and US includes subsea electricity interconnectors, wind and solar power, and battery storage. For more information, visit https://www.nationalgrid.com/national-grid-ventures.

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