LIPA and Con Edison to Move Forward with Plans for Major Offshore Wind
Initiative
Governor Paterson Commends LIPA and Con Edison for Leadership on Renewable
Energy
Initiative May be the Country’s Largest Offshore Wind Project
Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) President and CEO Kevin S. Law and
Consolidated Edison (Con Edison) Chairman and CEO Kevin Burke have announced
that their public-private partnership is moving forward with plans for a new
phase of study on a major offshore wind farm.
A joint feasibility study released today by the two utilities concluded that
an interconnection of up to 700 MW of wind power, located at least 13 miles off
the Rockaway Peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean, would be feasible with upgrades to
their respective transmission systems.
The proposed “LIPA/Con Edison Offshore Wind Farm” would likely be designed
for 350 MW of generation, with the ability to expand it to 700 MW, giving it the
potential to be the largest offshore wind proposal in the country. The concept
for the offshore wind project emanates from New York State Governor David A.
Paterson’s Renewable Energy Task Force and is consistent with the Governor’s “45
by 15” program, which establishes the goal for the State to meet 45 percent of
its electricity needs through improved energy efficiency and renewable sources
by the year 2015. LIPA and Con Edison have also filed an application to
interconnect the offshore wind project with the New York Independent System
Operator (NYISO) for up to 1400 MW by 2020, which would permit a future
expansion beyond the 700 MW.
"As a state and as a nation, we must find alternative solutions to
traditional fossil fuel sources. By taking advantage of the natural resources
that New York has to offer, we will position ourselves to be the national leader
in renewable and alternative energy as our economy emerges from the current
crisis," said Governor David A. Paterson. "LIPA and Con Edison have partnered to
take a lead role in wind power, successfully completing the first phase of this
joint partnership with their study of the technical aspects of connecting
off-shore wind energy to the state’s electricity system."
“I am strongly encouraged by the preliminary analysis which demonstrates a
large offshore wind project can work in our service territory,” said LIPA
President and CEO Kevin S. Law. “As a member of Governor Paterson’s Renewable
Energy Task Force, I remain committed to not only continue with the next phase
of the process, but also to bring this wind project to fruition if we can make
it cost effective for our customers.”
“We are committed to helping the state meet its renewable energy goals, while
continuing to support efforts that provide a clean environment for our
customers,” said Con Edison Chairman and CEO Kevin Burke. “An offshore wind farm
would be an exciting project for New York, and we will work closely with
federal, state and municipal leaders to move this process along in a responsible
way.”
The formation of the Con Edison and LIPA interdisciplinary working group was
announced by the Governor last fall with a goal of studying, among other things,
suitable locations for an offshore wind project, transmission and
interconnection capabilities, and the availability of wind as an energy source.
The information gathered was used to provide a better understanding of the
opportunities for such a project and, if feasible, the development of jointly
issued request for proposals whereby both utilities could share the cost of the
project, as well as the power it generates.
As the second phase begins for the wind project, LIPA and Con Edison will
work with the state, the New York Power Authority, New York City, the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Port Authority to issue a request
for expressions of interest (RFEI) for off-shore wind development. The RFEI
serves as a precursor to a Request for Proposals (RFP) to be issued later this
year. It is anticipated that other interested state and city agencies will be
invited to participate in the project’s next phase and/or the RFP process.
Additional next steps include:
- creation of a joint LIPA/Con Edison Web site to keep the wind industry,
communities and stakeholders informed of the project’s progress; and
- working with the New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority (NYSERDA) to develop a Meteorological Tower to assess wind
strength in the proposed project location.
In addition, both utilities will begin another round of due diligence that
will concentrate on the economics and feasibility of the actual offshore wind
farm, including: determining if there is sufficient wind resources to meet the
scope of the project; an avian (bird impacts) study, further environmental
impacts, economic costs, community impact and the potential number of jobs the
project could create.
The offshore wind-power working group marks the first regional partnership
project between LIPA and Con Edison.
A copy of the interconnect study may be obtained by following either of the
following links:
http://www.lipower.org/newscenter/pr/2009/032009-windstudy.pdf
http://www.coned.com/messages/WindProjectStudy.pdf |
