Empire Wind and the Wildlife Conservation Society announced the extension to 2028 of their historic agreement to monitor large whales in the lease area of Empire Wind, an offshore wind project located off the southern coast of Long Island.

Sheringham Shoal Windfarm photo provided by Equinor

On July 27, 2022, New York State released its third solicitation for offshore wind projects. The procurement is for at least 2 gigawatts enough to power 1.5 million homes and includes the first phase of the $500M public investment in offshore wind ports, manufacturing, and supply chain infrastructure development. Under this solicitation, NYSERDA has retained the discretion to procure all the capacity remaining towards the 9 GW target for OSW as set by the New York’s landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

This June, I had the privilege of joining a delegation of U.S representatives to Germany, at the invitation of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and organized by the German Renewable Academy, for a dialogue on our shared interest in the global development of offshore wind.

New York’s offshore wind program is a shining success story. The program is well on its way, with nearly half of the capacity needed to meet our nation’s leading goal of 9 GW by 2035 already procured and under development; with the possibility that this goal will be fully addressed with the next solicitation. These investments are already paying dividends.

Chairmen Harris and Seggos, members of the Climate Action Council, thank you for allowing me to testify this evening on the Draft Climate Action Plan. My name is Fred Zalcman, and I am the Director of the New York Offshore Wind Alliance, a collaboration involving the nation’s leading developers of offshore wind projects, national environmental organizations, labor, and academia, joined to support a vibrant and responsible offshore wind market in New York State.

When one thinks of places that have changed the course of industry, Wellsville New York is not generally cited as among them. However, it is precisely in this hamlet of 4,600 people, situated 85 miles from Buffalo, that one of the greatest revolutions in energy development and commerce is occurring.

2021 marks a key inflection point for the industry, as the states’ offshore wind ambitions were embraced by the incoming Biden-Harris amendment as a component of the federal government’s whole of government approach to tackling climate change.

Sailors refer to a sailboat being “in irons” when it is facing directly into the wind and comes to a standstill , unable to maneuver. This is an apt description of the offshore wind industry going into 2021 when it seemed like it may not be able to tack to its desired destination.

Four years ago, when ACE NY held our first event for Climate Week NYC, we had a great breakfast and excellent discussion (Remember the topic? Access to clean energy for low-income New Yorkers), but the rest of the world didn’t pay all that much attention to Climate Week.