The first few wind projects in New York include the 880 MW Sunrise Wind and 816 MW Empire Wind projects. Together, they will power more than 1 million New York homes and bring a combined economic impact of USD3.2 billion to upstate, downstate and Long Island. They will seek an investment worth USD85 million in long-term port facilities and cutting-edge technologies. The 1,696 MW projects will support more than 1,600 jobs in project development, component manufacturing, installation, and operations and maintenance.
New York has also launched its second offshore wind solicitation of up to 2,500 MW. The solicitation includes a multi-port strategy and requirement for offshore wind generators to partner with any of the 11 prequalified New York ports to stage, construct and manufacture key components, or coordinate operations and maintenance activities. To support New York’s position as the hub for the offshore wind industry, NYSERDA, with the assistance of NY Green Bank, Empire State Development and the New York State Department of Transportation, will support this combined solicitation by investing in and upgrading the state’s port infrastructure. The USD400 million in private and public funding is comprised of USD100 million in Empire State Development grant funding, USD100 million in low-interest financing and USD200 million in private sector matching funds.
Adrienne Downey, Principal Engineer Offshore Wind, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), explained that New York is committed to 100 per cent clean carbon-free electricity by 2040, which is certainly the most ambitious target in the nation. In particular, the city aims to generate 9,000 MW of offshore wind, which is enough to power 6 million homes in New York, by 2035. Check out his presentation from Global Transmission’s conference on Offshore Wind Transmission in US, organised in October 2020.
