In June of 2019, New York State promulgated the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) which formalized a number of climate goals for the State including a goal that by 2050, greenhouse gas emission levels in the State, will be reduced by 85 percent when compared to the baseline year of 1990. To achieve this goal, the CLCPA identified several ambitious targets for the power sector; specifically requiring that by 2030, 70 percent of the State's electricity must come from renewable energy sources. In line with this target, with potential implications for coastal residents, is the requirement that by 2035, at least 9,000 MW (9 gigawatts (GW)) of electricity should come from offshore wind energy, which would be enough to power 6 million homes.

 

While there has been some progress, New York’s ability to develop 9 GW of power by 2035, is being imperiled by a number of factors, including most recently, by President Trump’s presidential memorandum suspending all new leasing of offshore wind projects in federal areas on the Outer Continental Shelf, and directing a review of existing leasing and permitting practices. This action, along with inflation, tariffs, supply chain, and other issues has resulted in regulatory and economic uncertainty that is negatively affecting the growth, permitting, and investment in planned and future wind projects.

 

On a positive note, a total of ~ 1.7 GW of power is expected to be generated by 2027 from the following offshore wind projects (see map below):

 

South Fork Wind Farm (SFW project). This project is complete and operational!  Starting in December 2023, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) began operating the first utility scale wind project near the east end of Long Island and now delivers up to 132 MW (.132 GW) of power to ~70,000 homes. The wind farm is connected to the grid in East Hampton.  See the attached annual report with a summary analysis of the positive results from the first year of operations of SFW: sfwreport_web_vf.pdf

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Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind projects. Two other projects are under construction that are expected to generate approximately 1700 MW of offshore wind power, enough to power over 1,000,000 homes. Empire Wind 1, as proposed, is expected to generate 810 MW of capacity, and at its closest point will be located 15 miles south of Jones Beach State Park. The power from the windmills will be connected to the electric grid through a power substation in Gowanus, Brooklyn.  Those interested in seeing an animation depicting the potential visual impacts of Empire Wind 1 from the vantage point of Jones Beach click here. The Sunrise Wind project, as proposed, will generate 924 MW and at its closest point and will be located 30 miles east of Montauk Point. The Sunrise Windfarm’s cable will connect to the electrical grid via a connection going underneath Smith Point County Park before connecting to the power substation in Holbrook. These two projects are expected to start commercial operations in 2027.

 

In 2022, New York State launched a new Offshore Wind Master Plan 2.0 to adapt and update New York’s strategies for a rapidly evolving industry, building on work presented in Master Plan 1.0. In alignment with New York’s 10-Point Action Plan, Master Plan 2.0 provides a plan for the continued growth of offshore wind (see  Offshore Wind Master Plan - NYSERDA). In the current regulatory and economic environment, the exact timing and progress towards permitting and operating offshore wind projects is fraught with uncertainty.  Those interested in learning more about offshore wind projects should go to: Offshore Wind - NYSERDA