NY Sets First US ‘Mesh-Ready’ Rules to Link Offshore Wind Power
NY Sets First US ‘Mesh-Ready’ Rules to Link Offshore Wind Power
Abstract
August 1, 2022 Mary B. Powers and Debra K. Rubin KEYWORDS clean anergy construction / NY offshore wind / offshore wind energy Order Reprints No Comments New York and California are pushing new actions to speed up the clean energy transition at the state level, while a major U.S. utility says it is developing an estimated $13-billion offshore wind project off Vietnam set to generate more than 4 GW of power. Mark Schlosberg, acting California director of Food & Watch Watch, said the governor and the air board "Must stop kicking the can down the road" and no longer should support "Fossil fuel industry schemes like carbon capture and hydrogen." NY Outlines Mesh-Ready GridNew York released its third solicitation for offshore wind projects July 27, seeking proposals to develop at least 2 GW and as much as 4.6 GW, to bring the state closer to its target of 9 GW deployed by 2035.New York currently has 4.3 GW of offshore wind being developed in five projects, the first of which-the 130-MW Southfork-started construction earlier this year by the joint venture of Denmark-based developer Ørsted and Massachusetts utility Eversource. Located 35 miles east of Montauk Point, it is set to operate in late 2023 and connect to the onshore grid in East Hampton, N.Y.Eversource has said it intends to sell its 50% share of its venture with Ørsted, using what CFO John Moreira said in a recent earnings call could total $3 billion in proceeds to shift its development focus to offshore wind project grid connections in New York and in other states. The approach would be the first outlined by a state for U.S. offshore wind project transmission. Europe's Linked TransmissionNorthern European countries are already working through financial and regulatory challenges in developing a common power grid under the North Sea to connect future offshore wind farms. Asian Nations Boost WindIn another sign of global interaction on offshore wind, Vietnam announced on July 29 that Virginia-based energy utility AES Corp. will develop a major offshore wind farm, which officials said would be a $13-billion investment able to generate 4GW of power. Spanish-German turbine maker Siemens Gamesa also announced last month that it won its first "Firm" offshore wind manufacturing order in Japan to build 14 turbines, each 8 MW, for the country's 112-MW Ishikara project, with installation set to start next year.