The window closed Thursday afternoon on New York state’s third offshore wind solicitation.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which is leading the state’s ambitious offshore buildout, did not release details on the submissions. But at least some of the would-be developers are known: Four familiar names announced later Thursday that they had submitted bids.
Equinor and BP, already partners on Beacon Wind 1 and Empire Wind 1 and 2 off the New York coast, submitted a proposal for a 1,360-MW installation in the Beacon Wind 2 lease area.
Ørsted and Eversource, already partners on South Fork Wind and Sunrise Wind, submitted multiple bids with different configurations.
NYSERDA late Thursday said it has begun the bid review and qualifying process and will post a summary as soon as it can. The timeline estimates that companies chosen for contracts will be notified later in the first quarter of this year and the contracts executed in the second quarter.
In a news release Thursday, Equinor (NYSE:EQNR) and BP (NYSE:BP) said their plan would complement the 3.3-GW combined output of the three other wind farms the two partners are developing off the New York coast, and help the state realize its goal of 70% renewable energy by 2030.
They propose to create manufacturing facilities for key components such as cable parts, blades and nacelles in New York. They also promise $50 million for a collaborative effort to train and support workers for the offshore wind industry, with attention to historically marginalized communities and opportunities for minority- and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs). They included options to install energy storage to help the state with its energy transition and for BP subsidiary BP Pulse to install up to 1,000 ultrafast EV charge points statewide.
In their news release, Ørsted and Eversource (NYSE:ES) provided few details about the multiple configurations they offered in their multiple bids. But they painted a general summary of the expected results: billions of dollars in economic activity for the state’s economy, strides for economic justice, prioritization of disadvantaged communities and MWBEs, and furtherance of the state’s climate goals.
The partners have reported steady progress so far on labor agreements, workforce training and supply chain development. Construction of their 130-MW South Fork Wind has begun, and it is expected to start producing power later this year. Their 924-MW Sunrise Wind is in advanced development with a late 2025 target for operation.
Meanwhile, Rise Light & Power, which owns New York City’s largest fossil fuel-burning power plant, said Wednesday it had secured a stake in an offshore wind project, and said its plans to convert the plant to a clean energy hub would be part of an offshore wind proposal submitted Thursday.
It had not followed up with further public information by late Thursday.
The subsidiary of LS Power last year proposed making its Ravenswood Generating Station the point of interconnection for power generated offshore, a connection to land-based clean-energy sources upstate, a source of clean thermal energy by repurposing its water intakes and a large-scale battery storage site.