January 11th, 2017 by Joshua S Hill
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in his State of the State address, has committed the state to acquiring 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, drawing praise from around the industry.
Governor Cuomo delivered his 2017 Regional State of the State address on Tuesday, in which the Governor committed to building 2.4 gigawatts (GW) of new offshore wind power by 2030 — including immediate approval for a 90 megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm 30 miles southeast of Montauk.
“I’m calling on [Long Island Power Authority (LIPA)] to approve a 90 megawatt wind farm,” Governor Cuomo stated in his address. “It’s enough to support 50,000 homes. They will not be visible from the beach. They will be 30 miles southeast of Montauk.
“Not even Superman standing on Montauk Point could see these wind farms.”
The project in question was brought to light back in July, set to be developed by Deepwater Wind, the same developer behind the United States’ first ever offshore wind farm, the 30 MW Block Island Offshore Wind Farm. This followed policy shifts in New York and Massachusetts which would open up the way for more offshore wind farms.
Further, however, the Governor explained that in an effort to meet the State “mandate of 50% renewable power by 2030,” New York is committing to 2.4 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 — “and we are not going to stop until we reach 100% renewable because that’s what a sustainable New York is really all about.”
This should come as no surprise to those who have been following the nascent US offshore wind industry. At the very end of 2016, Norwegian oil and gas company Statoil won an offshore wind lease to 79,350 acres off the coast of New York, with the potential to develop up to 1 GW of offshore wind.
Unsurprisingly, the news was welcomed by a number of organizations.
“We applaud Governor Cuomo for listening to New Yorkers and committing to large-scale, long-term offshore wind in New York and moving New York’s first offshore project forward,” said Lisa Dix, Senior New York Representative for the Sierra Club. “These actions are not only the biggest commitments to offshore wind in the nation, but also a historic step forward in securing Governor Cuomo’s legacy as a national climate leader, creating thousands of new jobs, and securing his goal of powering New York with 50 percent renewable energy by 2030.”
“Governor Cuomo’s commitment to 2,400 MW of offshore wind power by 2030 makes New York a national leader of this new clean energy industry,” Liz Gordon, Director of the New York Offshore Wind Alliance said. “The Governor’s powerful endorsement will spur billions in investment, create thousands of skilled jobs, and generate clean, affordable and reliable electricity for New York.”
“The Long Island Federation of Labor applauds Governor Cuomo’s vision for renewable energy,” John R. Durso, President, Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO said. “It will address our concerns about climate change and make New York a leader in creating union jobs in an emerging offshore wind industry. This proposal will go a long way in not only creating sustainable energy, but the expansion of an industry that will make for a sustainable economy.”
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