New York Approves 1,498 Megawatts of Wind, Offshore Wind Projects
By Christian Roselund
Regulators in the state of New York have approved filings for four major land-based wind projects in the Upstate region totaling 573.6 megawatts, as well as the transmission line for a 924-megawatt offshore wind farm in the Atlantic Ocean. New York currently has 2,192 megawatts of wind online and these projects would increase its capacity by 68%.
On 17 November 2022, the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) approved compliance filings for the Eight Point Wind, Bluestone wind, Baron Winds, and Number Three Wind projects in Steuben, Broome, and Lewis Counties. These compliance filings are one of the final project milestones before construction can begin.
On the same day the PSC approved a 25-mile transmission line to deliver electricity from the proposed Sunrise Wind Farm to the town of Brookhaven on Long Island. Orsted and Eversource are jointly developing the Sunrise Wind farm, which they plan to make fully operational in 2025. The 924-megawatt plant is not only larger than any project in the region that has yet been built, but larger than other offshore wind projects in New York and New England. It would also be the first to be built in the New York Bight, the area of water south of Long Island and east of New Jersey in the Atlantic Ocean.
New York has one of the most aggressive renewable energy mandates in the United States, with a target to reach 70% renewables in electricity generation by 2030. It has a long way to go; in 2021 wind supplied 3.3% of New York’s electricity, far below the national average of 9.2%, and solar supplied another 3.1%. The New York State Research and Development Authority expects its targets to be met by a combination of existing and new hydroelectric capacity, wind, and solar, with offshore wind representing 18% of total generation.
Press release: PSC Moves 4 Major Wind Projects Forward (New York PSC) Press release: Governor Hochul Announces Approval of Major Offshore Wind Transmission Line (New York PSC)
