New York this week announced plans for development of 6.4 new gigawatts of renewable energy – something Gov. Kathy Hochul has called “the largest ever renewable energy investment by a state.” 

Both on and offshore projects, including three new offshore wind farms, have been offered conditional contracts, which means they will enter the negotiation phase.

According to Doreen Harris, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), 12% of New York’s electricity could be served by these projects.

“That alone was a huge milestone,” Harris said.

The announcement may also mean the creation of over 8,000 jobs “…from the supply chain, all the way through to the operation and maintenance of these facilities,” she stated. 

Capital Tonight reached out for reaction from Community Offshore Wind, one of the companies chosen in this recent solicitation. 

“As a project built from the ground up with a hyper-local and community-first focus, Community Offshore Wind is committed to delivering benefits for New York communities that go well beyond bringing enough clean power ashore for more than 500,000 homes. Our project will invest $41 million in workforce development programs to build a clean energy workforce ready to support the growing industry, including our $10 million commitment to offer reduced-cost childcare to every offshore wind worker and trainee, will break down longstanding barriers to entry for these new, good-paying jobs,” stated Doug Perkins, president and project director of Community Offshore Wind.

This week also saw the release of Hochul’s “10-Point Action Plan” to expand and support large-scale renewable energy in New York.

All of this unfolds just a few weeks after the Public Service Commission rocked the industry by denying requested “inflation adjustments” for wind projects already in the pipeline.  

Harris told Capital Tonight that the process of starting to accept industry input on how to “reset” the contracts affected by the Public Service Commission's denial started Thursday.

“The announcement earlier this week really spoke to new projects that we now will advance contracts for,” she said. “Whereas today’s actions reflect our commitment to assessing and resoliciting, if needed, for replacement contracts.”

When asked how much more money per month, per user New York ratepayers can expect to pay, if these announced plans developing 6.4 new gigawatts of renewable energy come to fruition, Harris described the increase as “affordable."

“In this case, the two award groups combined will have an impact of about $3 a month on your average New York residential consumer,” she said. “Affordable, but we certainly keep that central to our work.”

Is the state still on track to meet its climate goals, achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, and 70% renewable energy generation by 2030?

“Well, I’d say it is a moment of recalibration, certainly, of this portfolio. Our work though, continues apace,” Harris said. “I feel optimistic, not blindly optimistic, but optimistic in the ways in which we can reset and get to 2030 and beyond.”