New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Nov. 8 unveiled a solicitation that seeks 800 megawatts or more of new offshore wind projects for New York.
The solicitation was issued by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and is an an initial step toward the state’s goal of 2,400 MW of offshore wind by 2030.
“The solicitation accelerates New York's progress towards Governor Cuomo's mandate for 50 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030 and significantly jump starts the emerging offshore wind industry in New York,” NYSERDA said in a news release.
Under the solicitation, NYSERDA has the ability to award 25-year long-term contracts for projects ranging from approximately 200 MW to approximately 800 MW, with an ability to award larger quantities if sufficiently attractive proposals are received.
Each proposer is also required to submit at least one proposal of approximately 400 MW.
Bids will be due in February 2019 and awards are expected in the spring of 2019. Contracts are expected to be executed thereafter to take advantage of expiring federal tax credits.
Additional details about the solicitation are available here.
NYPA to lead offshore wind study; LIPA will also have role
A memorandum of understanding was signed this past summer by New York power agencies and partners to conduct a study of successful offshore wind transmission models, with a specific focus on large-scale European projects.
The New York Power Authority will lead the study and a number of parties including the Long Island Power Authority will collaborate with NYPA on the initial phase of the research.
Input gained from the study will help determine the optimal infrastructure required to support offshore wind targets set by the governor.
Other states pursuing offshore wind
In May, Massachusetts and Rhode Island utilities announced winning bidders for 800-MW and 400-MW, respectively, and in June Connecticut agencies agreed to buy 200 MW of offshore wind.
More recently, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities in September approved an order authorizing the largest solicitation to date by a single state for offshore wind projects. The solicitation for as much as 1,100 MW of offshore wind capacity is the first step toward meeting the state’s goal of having 3,500 MW of offshore wind in operation by 2030.
