New York State is taking steps to ensure it can deliver on the goal of generating 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
To support those ambitions, the State this week released its Offshore Wind Master Plan. It includes suitable ports for turbine construction and suggested offshore wind sites. The Plan also estimates 5000 jobs can be created locally by the mid 2020s.
And the region’s potential for offshore wind was revealed last year by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which estimates installations in the Atlantic could power 15 million homes in New York State.
Welcoming the news, Lisa Dix, New York Senior Representative for the Sierra Club said: “We applaud Governor [Andrew] Cuomo for stepping up and showing our nation that good-paying jobs in the renewable energy industry are possible, not only helping to curb climate change, but turning New York into a renewable energy economic powerhouse of the 21st century. In addition to grid reliability and stable electricity bills, New York’s offshore master plan shows that a commitment to a steady stream of projects over the next decade would create thousands of new jobs and manufacturing opportunities while increasing economic development throughout the state.”
Norwegian energy giant, Statoil, is already onboard with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s ambitions for the area to be “a national leader in clean energy”. Its planned Empire Wind offshore wind project, to be situated off Long Island, would provide 1GW of power.
