New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has called for 9,000 MW of offshore wind energy to be developed in the US state by 2035.
The New York Governor proposed the quadruple of the current target of having 2,400 MW installed by 2030 in his 2019 State of the State Speech.
To complement the Green New Deal, Cuomo is directing actions to accelerate offshore wind development in regard to port infrastructure, workforce development and transmission infrastructure.
The plan includes investing USD 200 million in the state’s ports, establishing a State Advisory Council on Offshore Wind Economic and Workforce Development, setting up an offshore wind training center, as well as initiating the first effort to evaluate and facilitate the development of an offshore transmission grid that can benefit ratepayers.
To ensure the creation of high-quality clean energy jobs, large-scale renewable projects supported by the initiative will continue to require a prevailing wage and offshore wind projects will be supported by a requirement for a Project Labor Agreement.
As part of the New Deal, Cuomo is also proposing a mandate of 100% clean, carbon-free electricity in the state by 2040, which, as he says, is “the most aggressive goal in the United States and five years sooner than the target recently adopted by California.”
According to Cuomo, the cornerstone of the new target is an increase in New York’s successful Clean Energy Standard mandate from 50% to 70% of renewable electricity by 2030.
In November 2018, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) issued a solicitation seeking 800 MW or more of new offshore wind projects, leading to the state having its first large-scale offshore wind development contracts in place in spring this year.
NYSERDA recently announced that the developers who filed a notice on the intent to participate in the solicitation are Bay State Wind (Ørsted and Eversource Energy), Vineyard Wind (Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables), Mayflower Wind Energy (Shell New Energies US and EDPR Offshore North America) Equinor Wind US, and Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind (EDF Renewables and Shell New Energies).