New York Announces 6.4 GW of Renewable Energy Projects

New York officials said the state will invest in several new renewable energy projects, both offshore and onshore, that will add 6.4 GW of clean energy generation capacity to the state’s power grid.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Oct. 24 said the projects will deliver about 12% of New York’s electricity supply once all the installations are completed. The new projects include three offshore wind farms with about 4 GW of capacity. The portfolio includes 22 onshore projects—14 solar farms, one new wind farm, six wind repowering projects, and one hydropower facility that is being returned to service.

“New York continues to set the pace for our nation’s transition to clean energy,” said Hochul. “An investment of this magnitude is about more than just fighting climate change—we’re creating good-paying union jobs, improving the reliability of our electric grid, and generating significant benefits in disadvantaged communities.”

Manufacturing Plants

State officials also announced construction of two factories that will manufacture blades and nacelles for offshore wind projects. Hochul said the total package should support $20 billion in economic development investments, including $3.5 billion in developers’ commitments to disadvantaged communities.

The new offshore wind projects are:

• Attentive Energy One (1,404 MW), developed by TotalEnergies, Rise Light & Power, and Corio Generation.
• Community Offshore Wind (1,314 MW), developed by RWE Offshore Renewables and National Grid Ventures.
• Excelsior Wind (1,314 MW), developed by Vineyard Offshore (Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners).

Ross Gould, vice president of supply chain development and research at the Business Network for Offshore Wind, in a statement said, “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. 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.”

Other Projects Stalled

New York currently is building the 132-MW South Fork offshore wind farm. Four other proposed offshore wind projects have stalled after state regulators on Oct. 12 denied requests from the project developers to renegotiate construction contracts. Other issues have slowed development as well.

Hochul was recently criticized for vetoing a bill that would have authorized the city of Long Beach, on Long Island,  to allow Equinor, the developer of a major wind farm project off the coast, to place a transmission cable under a stretch of city-owned beach. Long Beach officials have said the turbines for the project, though planned at least 14 miles offshore, would be a visual blight. Residents also have said they would lose revenue from tourism during construction.

Moira Cyphers, the director of Eastern Region State Affairs for the American Clean Power Association, criticized Hochul after the governor vetoed the legislation.

“Governor Hochul must get serious about reaching 70% clean energy by 2030,” Cyphers said in a statement on Oct. 20. “Today, she dealt a significant blow to the state’s own goals by vetoing legislation that would allow a local government to negotiate for itself in seeking the delivery of clean, affordable power generated by offshore wind. New York is coming dangerously close to serving a death knell for the promise of offshore wind development in the region. We urge Governor Hochul to support this critical industry and the thousands of jobs it will create with real action. She must put New York back on track to developing these critical clean energy projects and living up to the state’s promise of being a clean energy leader.”

New York has a goal for renewable energy to provide at least 70% of the state’s electricity by 2030, and officials said the projects announced Tuesday will enable that target to be reached. They said that operating, contracted, and under-development projects would supply at least 79% of the state’s power needs based on current projections.

Offtake Contract

Hochul on Tuesday also announced that Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture of RWE and National Grid Ventures, was provisionally awarded a 1.3-GW offtake contract as part of the state’s third solicitation for offshore wind. The project will be developed as the first of multiple phases located within Community Offshore Wind’s 3.2-GW seabed lease in the New York Bight, acquired during a federal auction by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in 2022.

Sam Eaton, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, LLC, in a statement said: “The RWE team, in collaboration with our partners at National Grid Ventures, is grateful to Gov. Hochul and NYSERDA [New York State Research and Development Authority] for the opportunity to deliver one of the largest offshore wind projects in the U.S. while creating good-paying union jobs, localizing the offshore wind supply chain, and generating long-lasting economic benefits for disadvantaged communities. Today’s announcement solidifies New York’s position as a national leader in the energy transition with a sincere commitment to achieving its ambitious climate goals. We look forward to partnering with the State to deliver a world-class project.”

—Darrell Proctor is a senior associate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).