At last year’s Alliance for Clean Energy New York conference, the Port of Albany hosted a tour of its new Beacon Island facility, which was slated to develop into a wind tower manufacturing facility. The facility could produce up to 150 towers per year and support 3,178 jobs, according to the Center for Economic Growth.
But when the port announced getting $18.8 million in funding from New York in February to install a substation, sanitary wastewater plant and fire protection system, there was no mention of the wind tower site.
“This is great news and will provide a critical boost enabling additional maritime commerce,” port CEO Richard Hendrick said in a statement. “The port will be able to move forward with the electrification infrastructure, including critical long-lead items needed in expanding the port for manufacturing opportunities.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statement on the award referenced that the site was a “unique asset to manufacturers of a variety of large-scale components” but made no mention of building towers for offshore wind.
Penny Vavura, spokesperson for the Port of Albany, told NetZero Insider that under the current administration, the port was open to other industries on the site.
“We’re still talking to Marmen,” Vavura said, referring to the developer of the proposed site. “But if things don’t come together, we’ll still look for something that offers similar community benefits as far as employment opportunities.”
The Trump administration chilled the market for offshore wind with a first-day executive order ordering a halt to new offshore wind permitting and a review of existing leases. (See Trump Executive Orders Put 43 GW of Wind Projects at Risk.) EPA also recently pulled the permit for the Atlantic Shores project off New Jersey. (See EPA Puts Hold on Atlantic Shores OSW Permit.) Many projects have been put on pause, and industry-wide layoffs have occurred. (See OSW Critics Petition US Supreme Court for Vineyard Wind 1 Review.)
Vavura said she had “no clue” what industry, other than offshore wind, might be interested in the site.
“It’s a challenging thing to try to forecast,” Vavura said. “The next best step is to start having conversations to see what’s out there.”
A spokesperson for Marmen confirmed it was still in discussions with the port about developing the site but otherwise declined to comment. The company’s website features an Albany office “coming soon” among its divisions.