Statoil said Dec. 16 that it has been declared the provisional winner of the U.S. government’s wind lease sale of 79,350 acres offshore New York.
Statoil will now have the opportunity to explore the potential development of an offshore wind farm to provide New York City and Long Island with a significant, long-term source of renewable electricity. Statoil said it submitted a winning bid of $42,469,725 during the online offshore wind auction concluded Dec. 16 by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
“We are excited to have submitted the most competitive bid in a highly attractive project, Statoil’s first offshore wind lease in the United States. We now look forward to working with New York’s state agencies and contributing to New York meeting its future energy needs by applying our offshore experience and engineering expertise,” said Irene Rummelhoff, Statoil´s executive vice president for New Energy Solutions.
The lease comprises an area that could potentially accommodate more than 1 GW of offshore wind, with a phased development expected to start with 400-600 MW. The New York Wind Energy Area is located 14-30 miles offshore, spans 79,350 acres and covers water depths between 65 and 131 feet. Statoil said it will next conduct studies to better understand the seabed conditions, the grid connection options and wind resources involved in the lease site.
“We will work closely with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on these studies and throughout the permitting process, and in connection with power offtake options,” said Rummelhoff.
The State of New York is expecting that offshore wind will be a significant part of the renewable energy generation needed to meet its Clean Energy Standard in 2030.
Source: renewableenergyworld.com
