Hochul announces 3 new wind projects for waters off Long Island

A week after the state delivered its existing offshore wind partners unexpected setbacks, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced the awarding of three new offshore wind projects for the waters off Long Island and a $300 million investment to manufacture key wind-energy components upstate.

Hochul said the three projects, which would produce just over 4,000 megawatts of wind energy, along with 22 other green-energy projects across the state would provide enough power for 2.6 million customers — about 12% of the state’s electric load. The state already has approved some 4,000 megawatts of offshore wind projects toward its goal of some 9,000 megawatts by 2035. 

The state said the three new offshore wind projects would increase customer bills across the state by 2.73%, or about $2.93 a month.

At a news conference in Long Island City, Queens, Hochul said the new green-energy projects, including more than 20 new solar-energy arrays, would generate 8,300 jobs and lead to about $20 billion in investment in the state.

The three new wind-power projects along with two previous awards will be built in waters off the coasts of Long Island and New Jersey, in an area known as the New York Bight.

Some commercial fishermen have opposed wind turbines in the area, saying they will limit prime fishing grounds. Regulators say the arrays could be configured to minimize fishing impacts.

The announcement of the new projects follows Hochul’s decision last week to veto legislation that would have fast-tracked a wind-energy cable through Long Beach. The state Public Service Commission on Oct. 12 also rejected a request by developers of a previously awarded offshore wind project to increase the prices they would be paid for energy to reflect increases in material costs, interest rates and other expenses. In her veto, Hochul said developers must win support for projects such as the Long Beach cable, which was opposed widely by local residents.

Among companies affected by Hochul's veto and the PSC decision is Norway-based Equinor, which is developing three projects for the state, including Empire Wind 1 and 2 off the coast of Long Beach.

While offering the state "congratulations" on the latest round of wind-energy awards, Molly Morris, president of Equinor Renewables Americas, said Empire Wind developers believe Hochul’s veto “undermines New York’s commitment to the energy transition and the role offshore wind must play in achieving the state’s renewable energy mandates. This decision sends another troubling signal to renewable energy developers following last week’s action by the New York State Public Service Commission.” 

The three new projects awarded Tuesday are Attentive Energy One, a 1,404-megawatt project by TotalEnergies, Rise Light and Power and Corio Generation that includes “repurposing” of a large fossil-fuel plant in Queens to serve as a hub for the renewable energy coming onto the electric grid; Community Offshore Wind, a project by National Grid Ventures and RWE Offshore Renewables that will connect to the grid in Brooklyn; and Excelsior Wind, a 1,314-megawatt project by Vineyard Offshore, which is already building a project in New England waters.

Hochul called the latest projects the “largest investment in clean energy in U.S. history," and said, “Our green energy future is now the green energy present. We’re not waiting any longer.”

The event in Long Island City was attended by labor leaders whose members would benefit from green-energy jobs, state officials such as Doreen Harris, chief executive of the New York Energy Research and Development Authority, which is administering the project awards, and Ali Zaidi, President Joe Biden's climate adviser. Zaidi told New York officials that Biden “has your back and he’s your biggest champion.”

All three new projects are expected to be in service by 2030, the year the state expects to be getting about 70% of its power from renewable resources.

Hochul said Tuesday the state will award $300 million in investments to “enable the development of two supply chain facilities for offshore wind component manufacturing," including turbine blades and other critical components.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.