New York's Wind Energy Plans for the Great Lakes

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) recently issued requests for project proposals to install large-scale wind farms on the state's two Great Lakes.

Lake Erie and Lake Ontario could help New York State generate anywhere from 120MW to 500MW of energy, if the proposals are accepted.

The two Great Lakes are also shared with Canada, who recently announced similar projects. Canadian energy giant Canadian Hydro has acquired a similar 4.4 gigawatt project from wind energy specialist Wasatch Wind, while a number of other companies are known to be exploring offshore wind projects in the region, including US energy company Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK).

Now the waiting game begins. Once the deadline has passed, The NYPA will sift through proposals to determine which ones it will award the projects to.

Once awarded to developers, the plans are for the new wind farms to come online by 2015, and provide power to the regional grid via a power purchase agreement with the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO).

Proposal Requirements:

The threshold requirements to determine a proposal’s viability include total generating capacity from 120 MW to 500 MW; location within the New York State waters of Lake Erie and/or Lake Ontario; capability of project to interconnect with the NYISO Transmission System; plans for mitigating the project’s effect on the environment during construction and operation; and the financial capabilities of the developer. 

The Power Authority will give more favorable consideration to proposals that include: long-term economic benefits for the region including the use of local labor and materials; the manufacturing of wind components; firm pricing; a target commercial operation date in 2015; and a strong likelihood of public acceptance.

For New York, not only will this project represent the first initiative in the Great Lakes, it will be the first wind power development of any kind in a fresh water body in the nation.