CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Efforts are under way in New York to develop one of the biggest offshore wind power plant ever proposed in the United States. The New York Power Authority has filed a preliminary lease application with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) to develop an offshore wind plant 13 to 17 miles off the coast of the Rockaway Peninsula and Long Island.

The application is the next step for the Collaborative, which has already conducted preliminary economic, environmental and technical studies and visualization simulations. The project’s economic impact assessment shows that the proposed wind farm, with a capacity of up to 350 megawatts (MW) – potentially growing to 700 MW – could generate up to $2.7 billion in economic activity. The study also found that the project could create 2,300 to 4,700 jobs during construction, and 85 to 170 permanent jobs, depending on the project size.

The application for the plant was filed on behalf of the Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative, consisting of Consolidated Edison Company of New York (Con Edison), the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and the New York Power Authority (NYPA).

During the initial Request For Information, over 30 wind developers and technical firms indicated an interest in developing the project. The Collaborative has also obtained letters of support from numerous environmental groups, the New York City Mayor’s Office, New York State Governor’s Office, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. By applying to secure the lease, the Collaborative hopes to streamline the process for developers, and reduce unknown variables that will be raised through the lease review process.

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