New York offshore wind: “Back on track”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul: “ “Offshore wind is foundational to our fight against climate change.”

Earlier this month, the news coming out of New York on offshore wind was causing some dismay. The New York State Public Service Commission denied petitions submitted by Empire Offshore Wind, Beacon Wind, Sunrise Wind and the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, Inc. (ACENY) that sought to address inflationary pressures impacting project economics through adjustments to Renewable Energy Credit (REC) and Offshore Wind REC (OREC) purchase and sales agreements entered with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). That was seen as putting some existing projects at risk.

Today, October 24, all was different. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced what she said was “the largest state investment in renewable energy in United States history, demonstrating New York’s leadership in advancing the clean energy transition.”

“Today, we are taking action to keep New York’s climate goals within reach,” she said. You can see a video of her whole address on the video embedded at the bottom of this page.

Cutting to the chase, in its most recent offshore wind solicitation, NYSERDA has selected three new offshore wind projects totaling 4,032 MW of clean energy.

The projects are

Attentive Energy One (1,404 MW) developed by TotalEnergies, Rise Light & Power and Corio Generation. The project includes a novel fossil repurposing plan in Queens which seeks to retire fossil fuel power generation in the heart of New York City and transition the current workforce to clean energy jobs.

Community Offshore Wind (1,314 MW) developed by RWE Offshore Renewables and National Grid Ventures. The project includes utilization of new grid interconnection being developed by Con Edison in downtown Brooklyn, made possible by the Public Service Commission Order Approving Cost Recovery for Clean Energy Hub to maximize delivery of clean electricity into New York City.

Excelsior Wind (1,314 MW) developed by Vineyard Offshore (Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners). The project includes proposed cable route options providing energy deliverability to Long Island.

“New York took an important step toward getting the state’s offshore wind industry back on track today with a colossal commitment to three new projects generating over 4 GW of offshore wind energy,” said Ross Gould, vice president of supply chain development & research at the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “By going big and bold, the state secured critical new supply chain investments that will help anchor the entire U.S. market, as well as bring thousands of new jobs to the Empire State. It’s no secret that New York’s clean energy and offshore wind goals are in doubt after the state’s recent decisions threw uncertainty into the market, and we encourage the state to fulfill its Action Plan by finding paths forward for previously awarded projects and stabilizing the state’s offshore wind industry. Congratulations to NYSERDA on a through procurement process that maximized returns for the state, and to member companies Corio Generation, National Grid, Rise Light & Power, RWE Offshore Renewables, TotalEnergies, and Vineyard Offshore for being awarded contracts as part of this solicitation.”