Vineyard Offshore Responds to New York Offshore Wind Solicitation

Vineyard Offshore, the project team behind the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the US, has submitted a proposal to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to develop the Excelsior Wind and Liberty Wind projects.

With a total capacity of more than 2.6 GW, these projects have the potential to power more than one million homes in New York City and Long Island, avoiding carbon emissions of up to 2.3 million metric tons annually.

Leveraging New York’s nation-leading USD 500 million in public funding for offshore wind supply chain expansion, the proposals provide New York with the largest direct investment in offshore wind supply chain infrastructure and manufacturing to date in the United States, the developer said.

Vineyard Offshore said the proposals were put together to ensure the delivery of the projects and their associated economic benefits and sustain New York as a national hub of the offshore wind industry.

“With these proposals, we have committed to the most comprehensive supply chain initiative we have ever undertaken, with benefits and investments stretching from Albany to Long Island and everywhere in between,” said Vineyard Offshore CEO Lars T. Pedersen.

“As leaders in the development of the country’s first large-scale offshore wind project, we bring that experience together with partners who know how to deliver complex projects. I am very proud of our wide-ranging initiatives to engage key stakeholders so that local communities benefit from the projects as we build a new industry in New York State.”

The projects will be based in lease areas OCS-A 544, located in the New York Bight, and OCS-A 522, located off the coast of Massachusetts. Both rental areas are owned by affiliates of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP).

“We are proud of Liberty Wind and Excelsior Wind because they present a massive opportunity for New York, in terms of both the thousands of jobs and the billions in investment associated with their development,” said partner and head of North America said at CIP. Tim Evans.

“But more importantly, we also believe these projects embody the ideals outlined in the state’s climate and environmental justice goals, and if selected, will undoubtedly help New York turn these goals into reality.”

Excelsior Wind and Liberty Wind are expected to provide more than USD 15 billion in direct economic benefits that will create or retain more than 25,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) job-years, while targeting a minimum of 35 percent of the projects’ economic benefits realized in disadvantaged communities in accordance with New York’s Climate Law.

In addition, Vineyard Offshore’s supply chain partnerships are expected to unlock more than USD 1.3 billion in transformative investments in wind turbine blade, nacelle and cable manufacturing facilities, creating nearly 2,000 construction jobs. Once operational, the facilities will support more than 1,000 long-term manufacturing jobs and generate more than USD 500 million in annual economic output in New York.

In addition, the projects will transform existing fossil fuel generation infrastructure in New York City to pave the way for the integration of the projects’ clean power with the New York grid. The projects will also facilitate the deployment of more than 700 MW of battery energy storage in New York City and Long Island, representing New York’s largest deployment of battery storage to date and significantly contributing to Governor Hochul’s energy storage goal of 6 GW by 2030, Vineyard Offshore said.

As the first offshore wind developer to sign a project labor agreement (PLA), Vineyard Offshore said it wants to build on that track record by working with New York’s union representative organizations to ensure good-paying jobs with family-sustaining wages and a just transition centered on racial justice and equality.

Vineyard Offshore’s proposals include direct investments of USD 90 million to support New York’s workforce training initiatives, in-state manufacturing, commercial innovation and expanding supply chain opportunities for small businesses – including minority- and women-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. Business ventures – and to preserve and protect the state’s critical natural resources, including a total of more than 25 investments across New York State.

As previously reported, Vineyard Offshore will compete for acreage in the New York Bight with companies and joint ventures such as Ørsted and Eversource, Equinor and bp, RWE and National Grid, Invenergy and energyRe, and Rise Light & Power.

NYSERDA expects to announce the awards in the spring of 2023.