New York begins port upgrade process in support of offshore wind

The region's offshore wind goals now surpass the 20GW, as New York's first two offshore wind projects – Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind – total nearly 1.7GW.

The program, according to estimations, will create more than 1,600 jobs and boost the economic activity by $3.2 billion. The Request for Qualifications is part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s goal of developing 9GW of offshore wind by 2035.

Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA, commented

With the 13th largest economy in the world, a wealth of existing port infrastructure, and the largest commitment to offshore wind in the nation, New York is uniquely positioned to be the epicenter of this exciting new industry in the US.

The Request for Qualifications is the first of the two steps from which New York seeks to pre-qualify proposers and then select proposals for public-private investment opportunities in port infrastructure. The selected proposers will be only two and will be eligible to take part in a competitive solicitation for up to $200 million to be issued in 2020.

Equinor's Empire Wind, which is expected to begin operations in late 2024, is planned to be located in an area of 80,000 acres, in federal waters, an average of 20 miles south of Long Island. The project will feature 60-80 wind turbines, with each one of them have a capacity of more than 10MW. The project's overall investment will be $3 billion and will power more than 500,000 homes in New York.

Concluding, Sunrise Wind is expected to support about 800 working positions, while it will supply more than half a million New York homes with offshore wind power.