Potential Brooklyn Project Shows What's Possible with Gov. Cuomo's Offshore Wind Plan

Potential Brooklyn Project Shows What’s Possible with Gov. Cuomo’s Offshore Wind Plan

By Joe Martens

May 3, 2018

Seeing this tweet from Gov. Cuomo last week made me channel my inner Marv Albert and shout YESSSS!!! 

The Governor was reacting to stories here and here that carried the headlines “Offshore wind farm could bring fabrication hub, hundreds of jobs to Brooklyn” and “Nation’s largest offshore wind farm proposes Sunset Park factory.”

 

No wonder the Governor was pumped. These stories show very clearly the kinds of benefits that await New Yorkers and the New York economy if and when the Governor’s Offshore Wind master plan is carried out.

 

As Deepwater’s Brooklyn project is envisioned, it would mean hundreds of jobs, $80 million in economic activity, and workforce training programs. No doubt as New York’s offshore wind program moves forward, and more leases are awarded and additional projects are sited, we should see additional port development ideas proposed for Long Island. We eagerly await them.

 

New Yorkers await them too, along with the tremendous environmental and other benefits offshore wind will bring.

 

That’s why we’re encouraged at the alacrity with which New York’s energy oversight body, the Public Service Commission, had undertaken the regulatory nitty-gritty of reviewing procurement options and other details that are necessary to the Governor’s plan.

 

As you may remember, the plan envisions procurement of at least 800 megawatts of offshore wind by the end of 2019. But that’s just the beginning.  The Governor’s plan is to responsibly and cost-effectively develop 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, which is enough to power up to 1.2 million homes.

 

It’s all part of the Governor’s agenda to have half New York’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2030.  Without offshore wind’s contribution, it may be impossible to reach this goal.

 

It was also heartening to see the Governor’s April 25 announcement that the state was releasing the second solicitation for large-scale renewable energy projects under the state's Clean Energy Standard.

 

This solicitation is for up to 20 projects that can power 200,000 homes and, according to the Governor’s statement, create more than 1,000 new jobs and spur as much as $1.5 billion in private investment.

 

As for the PSC, public comments on the offshore wind master plan are due June 4. Watch this space for more as that date nears.

 

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