Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and Consolidated Edison (Con Edison)(NYSE: ED) announced the creation of a “Wind Collaborative” to advance the LIPA-Con Edison Offshore Wind Farm project.
The Collaborative will be comprised of state and municipal entities interested in supporting or purchasing power from the proposed offshore wind project the two utilities are exploring. The project would be sited approximately 13 miles off the Rockaway Peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean and would likely be designed for 350 megawatts (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 Collaborative is part of the second phase of a joint feasibility study between the two utilities. The first phase concluded that an interconnection of up to 700 MW of wind power, located at the desired location in the Atlantic Ocean, would be feasible with upgrades to their respective transmission systems.
The intent of the collaborative working group will be to gather information and work towards the issuance later this year of a Request for Expressions of Interest (REFI) which will serve as a precursor to a Request for Proposals (RFP) under which LIPA, Con Edison and possibly other members of the Collaborative would seek proposals from private development firms to build the project and enter into agreements to purchase the energy produced by the project with various purchasers.
LIPA President and CEO Kevin S. Law, said, “The time is now to combine conservation with clean power and establish our state and nation as alternative energy leaders on a global level. If determined that this project makes economic sense for our customers, we have the opportunity to create not only green power but green jobs as well.”
Initial Wind Collaborative organizations include the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the New York Power Authority, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The second phase of the wind study will also include the creation of a joint LIPA/Con Edison Web site to keep the wind industry, communities and stakeholders informed of the project’s progress and a continuing study of the economics and feasibility of the project, 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 concept for the offshore wind project emanated from Governor Paterson’s Renewable Energy Task Force and is consistent with the Governor’s “45 by 15” program, which establishes the goal for New York State to meet 45% of its electricity needs through improved energy efficiency and renewable sources by the year 2015.
A copy of the joint feasibility study is available at the link below.
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