Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative?
A: The Offshore Wind Collaborative members include the Long Island Power Authority, Con Edison, the New York Power Authority, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the New York State Energy, Research and Development Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The intent of the Collaborative is to advance the development of the Long Island – New York City Offshore Wind Project Sponsored by LIPA, Con Edison and NYPA. The group gathered information through the issuance of a Request for Interest (RFI) in June 2009.  The responses to the RFI are being used to develop the Request for Proposals (RFP) to be released in the Spring of 2010. The Collaborative will seek proposals from private development firms to build the project and enter into agreements to purchase the energy produced by the project.

Q: Where would the offshore wind project be located?
A: The offshore wind project would be built in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 13 nautical miles off the Rockaway Peninsula. The exact location has not been determined, as it is pending completion of feasibility and wind-strength studies.

Q: How much power would be produced by the offshore wind project?
A: The proposed Long Island – New York City Offshore Wind Project would likely be designed for 350 megawatts (MW) of generation, with the ability to expand it to 700 MW, giving it the potential to be the largest offshore wind project in the country. A 350 MW wind facility operating at 30 percent of its capacitywould generate about 920,000 megawatt-hours per year, enough energy for over 250,000 homes.

Q: How much is the project expected to cost?
A: The estimated cost of the offshore wind project is not available, as it is pending completion of technical studies to determine variables, including the size and location of the turbines. The estimated cost for transmission infrastructure modifications, needed to accommodate 350 MW of wind generation, is estimated to be $415 million. The cost for additional transmission infrastructure upgrades, needed to accommodate 700 MW of wind generation, is estimated to be $406 million, with a cumulative cost of $821 million for transmission infrastructure upgrades.

Q: What is the proposed in-service date for the offshore wind project?
A: In April 2009, an application was filed to interconnect the offshore wind project with the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), operators of the state’s power grid, for up to 700 MW by 2015.

Q: What are the expected environmental benefits of the offshore wind project?
A:  The New York Public Service Commission estimates that every megawatt-hour of displaced fossil power in the state is equivalent to 900 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2). Therefore, a wind facility of this size would displace 400,000 tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to removing 68,000 cars from local roads. New renewable resources will help meet the New York State Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and expected federal renewable energy goals, and provide for added fuel diversity.

Q: Are there expected to be any impacts on marine life, birds, or coastal shoreline?
A: Being 13 nautical miles offshore, studies show that the coastal erosion will be negligible. Technical studies, including the potential affect to bird and marine life, will be undertaken shortly.

Q: What are the next steps?
A: The Long Island – New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative is in the process of developing a plan to move the wind project evaluation forward. This will involve a more detailed assessment of the potential options, refinement of interconnection costs and construction plans, and conducting an evaluation of the impact that a wind project would have on grid operations.

The Request for Information (RFI) provided the Collaborative more detailed information from equipment manufacturers, wind developers, and other interested parties that is required to perform this assessment and develop the Request for Proposal (RFP).  In addition, the Collaborative plans to initiate the process for installing wind-monitoring equipment in the Atlantic Ocean in an effort to collect wind data and characteristics to support the assessment of the wind potential off of Long Island.

Q: How much wind generation is presently in New York State?
A: New York's installed wind capacity totals 1,274 megawatts, up from 424 megawatts since last March. That represents a three-fold increase in on-land wind generation capacity in 2008, according to figures released by the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), operators of the state’s power grid.

Q: What offshore wind projects are in operation today in the United States?
A: There are presently no offshore wind projects in commercial service today, but there are a number of announced ones. A few projects nearby have been announced or are at various stages of development. Cape Wind (420 MW) in Nantucket Sound is the furthest along. Other projects include Garden State Offshore Energy in the Atlantic Ocean (345 MW) and NYPA’s Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project in Lake Erie and/or Lake Ontario (120 MW), and the Long Island – New York City Offshore Wind Project.

Q: What offshore wind projects are in operation today internationally?
A: The American Wind Energy Association states that eight countries have wind turbines installed offshore providing clean, renewable electricity: Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Ireland. Additional countries with offshore projects planned by 2015 include France, Italy, Norway, Poland and Spain.

Q: What kind of response did the Collaborative receive as a result of their Request for Information?
A: We were pleased with the response. Approximately 30 firms responded to our Request for Information. What was especially great about the response was the diversity of the firms that responded which included developers, manufacturers, consultants, law firms, and vessels and marine services.

Q: Can I view the submissions from the Request for Information (RFI)?
A: The RFI responses, as well of the list of those firms that responded, are confidential. 

Q: What is the recent NYPA wind initiative?
A: The New York Power Authority announced on April 22 that it will explore the development of wind farms in Lake Erie and/or Lake Ontario as interest grows in building clean energy projects off the coast of the Great Lakes and the economic development benefits of creating regional jobs in the wind power industry. NYPA issued a request for proposals on December 1 to seek an offshore wind developer(s) for the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project. The process, which has support from several state and local officials, and quite a few environmental and business groups, could serve as the foundation for one or more wind projects, totaling at least 120 MW but no greater than 500 MW, to be built by a private wind developer(s) that would include the use of New York manufacturing and labor resources.

Q: Why did the offshore wind project LIPA announced several years ago not move forward?
A: On August 23, 2007, LIPA terminated the project to install 40 wind turbines off the coast of Jones Beach.  Main reasons cited included strong opposition from local groups due to its close proximity to land, the rising cost of the technology at the time, and poor economies of scale.

Q: What are the advantages of an offshore wind project?
A: An interest in reducing the use of fossil fuels for electricity production has generated interest in all types of renewable energy options. For New York City and Long Island, the potential use of offshore wind power appears to be a renewable resource that could provide a significant amount of clean energy to consumers. The practical aspects of harnessing wind and assessing the cost of putting a successful wind project into commercial service are the subject of this study. 

In theory, any successful wind generation project for the New York metropolitan area must be centralized and large enough to be cost effective.  It must interact with the electric grid at a high-voltage transmission level, and provide power on the order of hundreds of megawatts (MW).  It must also be close enough to where electricity is used, so that energy can be harnessed economically due to lower transmission costs. 

A New York City - Long Island area wind project warrants an offshore location due to the sheer size and number of wind turbines, coupled with the availability of strong, consistent and unobstructed wind.  Wind’s relative low-energy density makes it necessary to build large wind turbines in order to generate reasonable amounts of wind power. 

An offshore wind facility of this size has distinct advantages over inland options.  Ocean-based wind power is stronger, more consistently available, and can be situated closer to New York City and Long Island in contrast to land-based wind facilities in remote regions of the state.  Also, land-based wind power availability, rather than that of offshore facilities, tends to drop off during the hottest part of a summer day, which is precisely the time that New York City and Long Island customers use the most electricity.  The higher transmission costs add to the expense of remote land-based wind power.