Efforts in New York to rely on offshore wind to reach its renewable energy goals took a hit Friday when a regulatory agency dumped three critical projects. | Steve Helber/APALBANY, New York — New York’s signature offshore wind projects meant to boost confidence in the industry are being scrapped, a major hit to the industry in the state and the nation.to achieve 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 and be a hub for the nascent industry in the United States.
. NYSERDA confirmed that was the main reason no final awards were made. A smaller turbine means a project would need more individual turbine locations to deliver the same power — and the costs would have been higher. The authority was already expected to start another round of offshore wind bids and may accelerate those efforts. NYSERDA’s schedule for the offshore wind projects called for contracts to be executed by the end of last month. GE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But those would now need to rely on smaller 15.5 MW turbines — which means the developers would have needed to buy more and install more massive underwater foundations to put each turbine atop. As a result, it adds time and labor costs to each project. The state’s utility regulator — publicly backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration — has held firm on its policy of limiting rate increases on consumers,that supports the 2030 target faces financial uncertainty.