Area poised to play manufacturing role for OSW components

CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. » In response to NYSERDA’s second solicitation for 2,500 megawatts of offshore wind (OSW), several international offshore wind developers submitted proposals that promise to leverage the Capital Region’s infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities to support the production of massive turbines.

Combined with awards from last year’s solicitation for an additional 1,700 megawatts of clean energy, the second solicitation proposals promise to further advance the growth of a major new OSW manufacturing industry in the Capital Region.

Equinor Wind U. S., Vineyard Wind and the 50/50 joint venture partnership of Ørsted and Eversource are international OSW developers that submitted proposals for NYSERDA’s second OSW procurement for up to 2,500 megawatts of clean energy, along with a multi-port infrastructure investment plan. Details of the second solicitation proposals are not yet publicly available. However, in their winning proposals for the first solicitation, Equinor and the Ørsted/Eversource joint venture identified the Capital Region as a preferred location for the fabrication of OSW components, such as gravity-based foundations and secondary steel for transition pieces.

“The Albany region has unique attributes that will make it a centerpiece of New York’s offshore wind industry,” Thomas Brostrøm, CEO of Ørsted North America, Offshore, remarked.

“The Center for Economic Growth has been a great advocate for NewYork and an excellent resource for our project team,” Mike Ausere, vice president of business development at Eversource said.

“We look forward to working together to deliver new opportunities to the region,” Ausere added.

“We are excited for the potential to expand NewYork’s offshore wind industry,” Equinor Wind U. S. President Siri Espedal Kindem commented.

“This latest solicitation builds on the region’s momentum to bring offshore wind energy to the state of NewYork and the economic benefits the industry provides. We believe the Capital Region can play an important role in this industry and are looking forward to leveraging this opportunity together,” Espedal Kindem noted.

Key to the Capital Region’s emerging OSW industry are the Port of Albany and Port of Coeymans. The ports could be key staging grounds for turbine components, which would be sent down the Hudson River. The first solicitation alone was projected to support 1,600 jobs, many of which would be at the Capital Region’s ports. The second solicitation promises to add to that.

“New York’s offshore wind initiative sets a new standard for renewable energy production in the U. S. NYSERDA put forward an innovative process that not only achieves that goal but also enables significant one of a kind economic development in New York State,” Megan Daly, the Port of Albany’s director of economic development and procurement noted.

“The Port of Albany is pleased to partner with the leaders of the offshore wind industry to increase economic development opportunities and create skilled jobs for the Capital Region, including underserved environmental justice communities as envisioned in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act,” Daly explained.

“Developing the offshore wind industry in the U. S. is a once in a lifetime opportunity for New York State and the Capital Region. The region is pursuing supply chain solutions – for all the Northeast wind sites – that will help to bring back manufacturing jobs and showcase the highly skilled, hard-working labor force