New York Gov. Cuomo backs 90 MW offshore wind farm

Dive Brief:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is pushing to have a 90-MW wind farm offshore of Long Island approved.
In one of a series of state of the state speeches the governor urged the Long Island Power Authority to approve the wind farm, which would be sited 30 miles off of Montauk on the southeast tip of Long Island.
The wind farm is part of Cuomo’s larger plan to have 2.4 GW of offshore wind power online by 2030 to help meet the state’s 50%-by-2030 renewable portfolio standard.

Dive Insight:

The first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States began operation in December, Deepwater Wind’s 30-MW Block Island project off the coast of Rhode Island.

But the success of that project belies the difficulties offshore wind often faces. The Cape Wind project was under development for over a decade before it finally succumbed to lawsuits and local opposition. A D.C. appeals court case, a cases in federal district court and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Offshore wind farms have also been proposed off the coast of New York’s Long Island, but have failed to get off the drawing board.But Deepwater Wind’s South Fork wind farm off of Montauk project is beginning to line up supporters.

“Governor Cuomo made history today with the largest state commitment to offshore wind power, continuing the undeniable, bipartisan momentum building along the coast to tap into this booming global industry,” Catherine Bowes, senior manager at the National Wildlife Federation, said in a statement.

The wind production tax credit extension last year also made the resource more financially palatable, as more developers are eyeing U.S. coasts for development. For instance, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Mangement granted 11 commercial leases for offshore wind development, designating off the Atlantic coast as prime spots.

Lisa Dix, senior New York representative for the Sierra Club called Cuomo’s backing of the wind farm “a historic step forward.”

The fact that wind farm would preserve Long Island viewshed could aid in the project’s progress. “Not even Superman standing on Montauk Point could see these wind farms,” Cuomo said.