Wind power
Biden prioritizes area, funds to aid projects; seen as boost for Albany
White House to prioritize an area off coast for wind projects, port investments.
The Biden administration announced Monday it will prioritize an area off the coast of New York for offshore wind projects and fund new port investments — steps that are expected to boost the jobs in the state, including in the Capital Region, and help the state meet its aggressive clean energy goals.
The administration set a goal to develop 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, which the administration said would be enough to power 10 million homes and cut 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
“The announcement today by President Biden’s administration of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 represents a historic day for the United States and a tremendous leap forward in tackling global climate change by building back better with clean energy and spurring a thriving green economy, clear priorities for New York,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said.
By designating 800,000 acres in the New York Bight — a shallow water area off the coast of Long Island and New Jersey — as a priority region for wind turbines, the Interior Department is allowing projects in those waters to advance, setting up possible lease sales for one or more projects in late 2021 or early 2022. The administration also announced that it would fund $230 million in grants to strengthen and modernize ports that will support offshore wind infrastructure, make loans available to back the industry and fund more wind energy research and development in consortium with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. One of the awards will go to Cornell University to study protected species in wind farm areas.
It’s also expected to permit wind projects more expeditiously than the previous administration.
These steps could help the country quickly add more offshore wind farms, particularly along the New York and New England coastline. Only two offshore wind facilities are now built in U.S. waters.
“This is a very big [step] and one in fact that we have been waiting for in New York for several years,” said Doreen Harris, acting president and chief executive officer of NYSERDA. “It’s really a very exciting step... ultimately it will lead to areas in which offshore wind can be developed to serve New Yorkers.”
Although it’s expensive, New York needs to procure more wind energy to help it meet its climate objectives — like virtually eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 —which are some of the most aggressive in the world.
The state has contracts with offshore wind developers for projects that will come online in the next several years and provide about half the wind energy that New York is seeking to procure.
New York Bight area is essential to opening up more projects from which New York can procure wind energy to meet its goal of 9000 megawatts by 2035, enough to serve about 6 million New York households and provide 30 percent of the state’s energy needs, Harris said.
Eight companies have already indicated their interest in developing wind farms in the New York Bight and the federal government could offer multiple leases as soon as later this year. Then the state would set up contacts with these companies to buy their energy.
These wind projects will mainly supply power to Long Island, New York City and New Jersey, unless further investments in transmission are made by the federal government or private companies to carry the electricity to other states, Harris said.
But both the wind expansion in the New York Bight and federal investment in ports could benefit the Capital Region.
Earlier this year, the state announced that an expanded Port of Albany will house the nation’s first facility to build wind turbine towers. The plant should employ 300 people, once it’s up and running. The towers will be shipped in sections down the Hudson River by barge, eventually to be put in place off Long Island. The Port of Albany did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Additionally, the nearby Port of Coeymans will do concrete foundation work for turbines. A Glens Falls company, WRI Energy, provides weather forecasts for wind turbine builders.
Harris said NYSERDA will prioritize procuring wind energy from projects that support the New York economy and source from manufacturers in the state.
“The Biden administration’s announcement is another indication that the federal government views offshore wind as a key energy generation source and that New York is very much at the center of plans to build out this burgeoning new sector in the next decade,” said Mark Eagan, president and CEO at the Center for Economic Growth, an Albany nonprofit focusing on business development.
The center is putting on a virtual summit meeting about offshore wind on April 13. They have also been pushing to spur wind power projects for the past three years.
The Biden administration said the new wind projects will help the nation meet climate goals and reduce global warming, create thousands of jobs and strengthen supply chains. The Monday announcement comes before Biden is expected to announce a multitrillion plan for infrastructure investment, including renewable energy technology, on Wednesday.
“President Biden believes we have an enormous opportunity in front of us to not only address the threats of climate change, but use it as a chance to create millions of goodpaying, union jobs that will fuel America’s economic recovery, rebuild the middle class, and make sure we bounce back from the crises we face,” said National Climate Advisor Gina Mccarthy Monday. “Nowhere is the scale of that opportunity clearer than for offshore wind.”
Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, an umbrella of union groups, called Biden’s plans a “proworker” approach to climate change.
“The United States is back in the climate game and ready to use all the tools in our tool belt to reduce our emissions and create a healthier future for people and wildlife, alike,” said Collin O’mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.