Deepwater Wind has announced its intent to bid on a utility-scale offshore wind farm that would serve downstate New York.
The announcement comes on the heels of the New York Power Authority's (NYPA) filing of an application with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement to lease an offshore site at least 13 miles south of New York City and the western end of Long Island.
NYPA also announced that it will conduct a competition to select a developer to build a utility-scale offshore wind farm of up to 700 MW at that site – a competition that Deepwater Wind will enter.
In addition to the company's bid to build the wind farm, it is developing a high-voltage transmission system connecting the offshore wind farm to both New York and northern New Jersey. This transmission system, called the Submarine Regional Transmission (SMRT) Line, will allow Deepwater Wind to supply New York with ‘firm power,’ delivering a steady, reliable energy flow to New York, just like a base load plant, according to the company.
Deepwater Wind has already identified and applied for interconnection positions in New York City, Long Island and New Jersey for the SMRT Line. The project is currently being studied by the New York Independent System Operator and the PJM Interconnection.
‘By combining a utility-scale offshore wind farm with a regional transmission network, we can deliver firm power to address the area's electricity demand, and be part of a broader strategy to replace the Indian Point nuclear plant with renewable and other sources of energy at costs that would be close to competitive with new fossil-fuel generation,’ says William M. Moore, Deepwater Wind's CEO.
The company has completed numerous environmental, construction and interconnection feasibility, wind resource and market impact studies for this site.
