Offshore Wind

An array of white wind turbines surrounded by an expanse of blue water.

As a national leader in clean energy policy, New York is emerging as the hub for the United States’ growing offshore wind energy industry.

Turbines Explained

In a wind turbine, electrical energy is generated by rotating magnets inside a coil of conductive wire.

  • Offshore Turbines capture the wind's energy and generate electricity
  • Foundations secure turbines to the ocean floor and cables transmit electricity to an offshore substation
  • Electricity flows through a buried cable to an onshore substation and is transferred to the existing transmission network
Cables connect offshore wind turbines to an offshore substation to an onshore substation to the existing transmission network to end-use customers.
A worker in protective gear stands in front of offshore wind turbines.

Building an Industry

Offshore Wind Energy

Every aspect of New York’s offshore wind industry is being built from the ground up. It is a massive effort to build an entire localized clean energy industry, and it begins with people, supply chain, and partnerships.

Offshore wind is expected to bring tens of thousands of jobs to New Yorkers. To prepare our workforce, training programs throughout the State are gearing up to support this new industry.

Have you ever wondered what happens when installing a wind power plant at sea? Watch this video and take the opportunity to get as close as possible to the installation of the giant offshore wind turbines.

State and Local roles are both complementary and vital to reaching New York’s offshore wind goals.

Click the button to the right to learn more about selecting and connecting offshore wind projects for New York State.

Selecting Projects for New York State

Through competitive solicitations, NYSERDA contracts with offshore wind developers who want to deliver power to New York State.

Prior to submitting a proposal to the State, the developer must secure a lease area in federal waters. Because the federal government has jurisdiction over all ocean activities more than three nautical miles from the shore, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is responsible for selecting areas of the ocean that are appropriate for wind energy development.

Once the State has competitively selected a project, its contracts will include important provisions that dictate how New York will benefit from the project, such as economic benefit commitments and environmental and fishing mitigation plans.

Connecting to New York’s Electric Grid

Renewable energy from offshore wind farms connects to New York's existing electricity grid at onshore substations.

When determining an optimal route from the shore to a local substation, project developers consult with relevant local governments and may enter into easement agreements if the route transects government-owned roads or property.

Municipalities and local groups can actively participate in the State’s permitting process for offshore wind cables.

The Numbers

New York State's Climate Act set a target of 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind installed by 2035.

Progress to Date

Reporting indicates the following progress:

Together, offshore wind projects in New York State total more than 1,800 megawatts and represent nearly 21% of the capacity needed to meet the State's offshore wind goal of 9,000 megawatts by 2035.

NYSERDA-awarded projects will create nearly 1,000 jobs and generate more than $6 billion in anticipated in-state spending.

Summing It Up

Offshore Wind

The strong wind resource off the U.S. Atlantic coast has tremendous renewable energy generation potential.

New York State is working to responsibly and cost-effectively develop renewable energy sources to provide 70% of the State’s electrical power by 2030.

In addition to avoiding greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change, offshore wind brings:

  • Clean, locally produced power where demand is highest
  • Public health benefits from reducing harmful pollutants emitted from fossil-fuel generation sources, including fewer incidents of illness and premature death
  • Significant investments in infrastructure and communities along New York’s Atlantic Coast and up to the Capital Region
  • The opportunity for thousands of short- and long-term skilled construction, manufacturing, and operations jobs
  • A diversified, more resilient electricity supply

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