The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) said on Wednesday it plans to participate in a federal auction in December for the rights to develop offshore wind off the coast of Long Island.
The state energy agency said it had submitted qualifications, a bidder’s financial forms and a bid deposit for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) auction, scheduled for 15 December. NYSERDA said it is the first state entity in the US to participate in a federal auction for an offshore wind site.
“Offshore wind is crucial to meeting New York’s ambitious energy goals under Governor Cuomo,” NYSERDA president John Rhodes said. “If NYSERDA is successful in the bidding, we will engage all involved stakeholders and ensure that offshore wind in New York is developed responsibly.”
A BOEM spokeswoman told Infrastructure Investor the agency, a division of the Department of the Interior, will announce other auction participants after the lease sale has concluded, which will likely be the same day as the auction.
In October, BOEM shortlisted 14 companies qualified to bid on the 79,350-acre wind energy area located 12 miles off the Long Island coast. Among the companies qualified to bid are DONG Energy and EDF Renewable Development, both active players in Europe’s offshore wind industry.
Developers have been eager to obtain construction rights around Long Island due to the large nearby power market, strong and consistent wind speed, and the large area able to accommodate an estimated 700MW plus of generation.
NYSERDA has created an offshore wind blueprint framework to responsibly develop this source of generation. The agency said it will release a master plan next year identifying additional offshore wind sites beyond the area BOEM is auction in December.
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