Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) — The Obama administration is gauging
interest in wind power development off the coast of New York,
after a state agency proposed an offshore project 11 nautical
miles south of Long Beach.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a request
today for any competing interests in the proposed lease area,
which covers about 127 square miles (329 square kilometers),
according to an e-mailed statement. If no other parties express
interest, the New York Power Authority can get a lease on a non-
competitive basis.
The agency, part of the U.S. Interior Department, is also
seeking comments on potential environmental effects of a wind
farm in the area. The authority has proposed a project that
would generate 350 to 700 megawatts of power for Long Island and
New York City.
There are no offshore wind farms currently operating in the
U.S. The government has awarded two offshore wind-energy leases,
in Massachusetts in 2010 and in Delaware in October, through
non-competitive arrangements with Cape Wind Associates LLC and
NRG Energy Inc. The administration plans to conduct the first
competitive lease auctions this year for projects off the coasts
of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia.
The Long Island – New York City Offshore Wind Project is
being backed by the New York Power Authority, Long Island Power
Authority and Consolidated Edison Co., according to its website.
The Long Island Power Authority canceled plans in 2007 to build
a wind farm off Jones Beach after costs rose.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Andrew Herndon in San Francisco at
aherndon2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Will Wade at
wwade4@bloomberg.net
