Quartet of companies put forward proposals for New York’s first offshore windfarm

More of the companies responding to a request for proposals to provide New York State with its first offshore windfarm have been revealed.

Apart from Vineyard Wind, which announced last week that it was proposing a project called Liberty Wind, the bidders include two other joint ventures, Bay State Wind, comprising Ørsted and Eversource Energy, and Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind (EDF and Shell), plus Equinor Wind US.

Vineyard Wind is collaborating with transmission developer Anbaric Development Partners for Liberty Wind.

At the time of writing, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind had yet to issue a statement confirming participation in the project.

Vineyard Wind’s Liberty Wind proposal includes 400-MW, 800-MW and 1.2-GW project options. It said the 1.2-GW project is the most cost-effective option for New York ratepayers.

The company said Liberty Wind would also bring substantial economic development and job creation benefits to New York, providing hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and thousands of jobs on Long Island, the Capital Region, and in New York City. The company said foundation components would be fabricated at a port facility in the capital region and transported down the Hudson River to the project site in the Atlantic Ocean.

Equinor secured an 80,000-acre lease in a federal auction in December 2016. The site is located between 23 and 56 km south of Long Island in the New York Bight, with a potential capacity of up to 2 GW. Equinor Wind US president Christer af Geijerstam said, “Submitting this offer to provide New York with a steady supply of offshore wind is both a major step forward in the development process of the Empire Wind project and an important milestone for New York’s transition to renewable energy.

“Our project can make a major contribution toward fulfilling New York’s robust renewable energy goals, and the emissions reduction and economic impacts of our bid provide a clear benefit to New Yorkers. We look forward to working with the state as we turn that potential into a tangible asset that the people of New York can rely on for energy well into the future.”

Ørsted and Eversource said their ‘Sunrise Wind’ proposal submitted to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is 48 km east of Montauk Point. The companies have entered into a memorandum of understanding with New York transmission developer Con Edison Transmission, which will support the development of the transmission facilities needed to deliver the offshore wind energy to the grid.